Sports Governance Act Enacted Nationally - Examine Key Points
After a decade-long wait, the National Sports Governance Act, 2025 has finally become a law, marking a significant milestone in the Indian sports landscape. The Act, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on August 11 and received President Droupadi Murmu's assent on August 18, 2025, promises to revamp India's sports administration.
The comprehensive legislation, aimed at laying down governance criteria for sports administration in India, was the result of extensive consultations with various stakeholders over the past year. The Act establishes a National Sports Tribunal for speedy dispute resolution, a National Sports Board (NSB) to oversee recognition of sports bodies, and mandates the creation of a National Sports Election Panel to ensure transparent and fair elections.
Key Provisions of the Act
The Act mandates the creation of one National Olympic Committee, one National Paralympic Committee, a National Sports Federation (NSF) for each designated sport, and corresponding Regional Sports Federations. These bodies must be internationally recognized and have a governance structure that includes a general body, executive committee (EC), ethics committee, dispute resolution committee, athletes committee, and key officers with defined terms, eligibility, and disqualification criteria.
A corporate body headquartered in Delhi, the NSB will oversee recognition of sports bodies, maintain records, conduct inquiries, issue governance guidelines, frame Safe Sports Policies, and protect athletes' welfare. It has the power to suspend or cancel recognition of federations if required and to constitute ad hoc bodies.
Every recognized sports body must formulate and enforce a Code of Ethics that sets minimum standards of conduct for stakeholders and includes protections for vulnerable individuals against abuse. A comprehensive Safe Sports Policy, mandated to protect women, minors, and vulnerable athletes, requires an internal grievance redressal mechanism within each sports body.
The Act caps the executive committee size to 15 members, mandates at least two athlete representatives of outstanding merit and four women in executive roles, and limits the tenure of key posts (President, Secretary General, Treasurer) to three consecutive terms totaling 12 years. Age cap is set at 70, extendable to 75 if allowed by international sports charters.
Sports bodies receiving government assistance fall under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, enhancing transparency. The Act also establishes a National Sports Tribunal to resolve disputes related to sports governance.
Inclusion of Major Bodies and Technology Adoption
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is brought under the Act’s governance and ethics provisions when receiving government aid but exempted from RTI unless public funds are involved. The Act supports technology adoption for athlete development, including AI analytics, performance dashboards, and real-time talent tracking.
Addressing Controversies and Modernizing Indian Sports Governance
The passage of the National Sports Governance Act, 2025 in Rajya Sabha followed a discussion that lasted over two hours. The Act aims to address controversies often associated with NSF polls and modernize and professionalize Indian sports governance, ensuring accountability, ethical conduct, gender and athlete representation, grievance redressal, transparency, and athlete welfare protection.
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