Federal Council does not want to allow national teams to wear the coat of arms
Published: Thursday, May 23rd 2024, 12:10
العودة إلى البث المباشر
National teams are allowed to wear the Swiss cross on their jerseys, but not the Swiss coat of arms. The Federal Council would like to leave it at that and not amend the Coat of Arms Protection Act. It is therefore proposing that two motions from parliament be rejected.
The motions were submitted by FDP Councillor of States Damian Müller (LU) and SP National Councillor Matthias Aebischer (BE). Both are calling for the Coat of Arms Protection Act, which has been in force since 2017, to be amended so that national teams can legally use the coat of arms. The reason for the discussion is the current national ice hockey team jersey.
Swiss Ice Hockey was made aware of the misuse of the crest in 2018, the petitioners write. The exceptional approval promised at the same time was not received. The question of whether the crest can remain on the national team jerseys is now before the Federal Administrative Court.
In its rejection of the motions published on Thursday, the Federal Council insists on the distinction between the Swiss coat of arms and the Swiss cross. The white cross on a red field may be used by all those who meet the requirements. This also includes Swiss sports associations.
However, the coat of arms - specifically the Swiss cross in the shield - may only be used by the Swiss Confederation. The Federal Council notes that the Coat of Arms Protection Act protects communities in the use of their national emblems. At the same time, it protects them from being misled by improperly used symbols.
The Federal Council recalls the almost unanimous vote in Parliament in favor of the Coat of Arms Protection Act. If it were to be amended now, this would be tantamount to "case-by-case legislation", it writes. As the associations are allowed to use the Swiss cross on red, there is no reason to amend the law.
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