Union Sports Ministry formed Committee to examine National Sports Development Bill

With an objective to fine-tune the draft National Sports Development Bill, a committee headed by Justice Mukul Mudgal, retired Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana was formed by the Union Sports Ministry on 6 April 2011.

The ministry had placed the exposure draft of the proposed National Sports Development Bill in the public domain since 22 February 2011 seeking comments from all stakeholders and the general public.

The committee would look into all suggestions and comments from sports governance and legal angles on the draft National Sports Development Bill. The committee will also give specific comments on role delineation among the Government, the IOA, the federations and the SAI and provide comments on sports arbitration mechanism, among other things.

The committee will also include badminton legend Prakash Padukone and former sprinter Ashwini Nachappa, who is also the Vice-President of Cleansports India. The panel will also have on board Jhanja Tripathi, Secretary and Executive Director, Railway Sports Promotion Board, who was formerly with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and a representative of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to be nominated by the IOA president and the Joint Secretary (Sports) of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

The panel has been asked to submit its report within two weeks from its formation.

The IOA has so far opposed the proposed Bill. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) cautioned the Government that any step that could be a direct interference in the autonomy of the Olympic Movement could attract sanctions against the country that can eventually lead to its isolation from international sports.