President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has announced the official launch of a specialised health insurance scheme for athletes, aimed at providing medical coverage for injuries sustained during competitions and training, both domestically and overseas.

The announcement was made in a post shared on X. According to the President, arrangements have been finalised to provide health insurance coverage to 385 athletes and officials representing 18 national sports associations across the Maldives.

The scheme is intended to ensure medical security for national athletes, covering treatment for injuries sustained during domestic competitions, as well as during international tournaments and training programmes abroad. The President said the initiative responds to a long-standing request from the Maldivian sporting community.

The introduction of health insurance coverage for athletes was included in President Dr Muizzu’s electoral pledges. The scheme is expected to ease the financial burden on athletes and sports associations by providing structured medical protection during sporting activities.

Minister of Sports Abdulla Rafiu said one of the challenges in introducing insurance for national team players had been the frequent changes in team composition. He said this issue had been addressed through discussions with insurance providers and sports associations, with arrangements made to insure a fixed quota of athletes rather than individual named players.