What is the National Sports Governance Bill? Check Key Details Here

The National Sports Governance Bill is a landmark legislative bill introduced to the Indian Parliament in 2025 with the responsibility of transforming the management of sports federations in India. It claims to bring transparency, accountability, and athlete-centric policies to all national sports federations, especially powerful organizations like the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Important Provisions of the Bill

1. Creation of the National Sports Board (NSB):

NSB is the apex governing body that can grant, suspend, or cancel recognition of every National Sports Federation (NSF), including BCCI.

The Board will uphold governance, welfare of athletes, conduct of elections, and financial transparency.

Members, including a chairperson, will be chosen by the central government from among individuals with a track record of integrity and competence in sports administration or fields of related expertise.

The NSB will be allocated its own budget, staff (with legal and audit expertise), and powers to operate as a "watchdog," offering administrative directions and ethical oversight to NSFs.

2. National Sports Tribunal (NST):

An impartial tribunal, presided over by a Supreme Court judge or Chief Justice of the High Court, will resolve all disputes relating to sports federations, including selection disputes and election controversies.

NST shall exercise the power of a civil court, and its decisions would be appealable only to the Supreme Court.

Civil courts shall not entertain NST-ordered cases.

There will not be any dispute regarding occurrences in games taking place in Olympic, Asian, or Commonwealth Games, or cases handled by the National Anti-Doping Agency.

3. National Sports Election Panel:

The newly formed panel will monitor elections to all of the executive and athlete committees of national sports organizations to ensure regular and proper conduct.

The board also has the right to derecognise organisations which fall short on governance or election standards, for instance, for financial management or improper procedure.

4. Code of Ethics:

All recognized sports organizations have to accept and adhere to a code of ethics on international best practice, according to the Olympic and Paralympic Charters.

5. Safe Sport and Welfare of Athletes:

The Bill necessitates the creation of a Safe Sports Policy with special protection for women, children, and other such vulnerable persons and a robust in-house grievance redressal mechanism.

• It also enacts transparency in managing money and timely publication of audited accounts, with criminal penalties for misruled or misused public monies.

6. Reforms in Tenure of Age:

The Bill imposes a ceiling on the age and tenancy of high offices, capping offices such as President, Secretary General, and Treasurer of sport organizations to three consecutive terms or twelve years at the most.

7. Adherence and International Conformity:

Ensures international sports administration best practices and Olympic and Paralympic Charter adherence, with specific provisions in a bid to avoid international sports organisations conflict.

The NSB shall consult international federations prior to the taking of action against a recognized national body to avoid international isolation of Indian athletes or federations.

Background and Rationale

India's sports governance has, in the past, grappled with persistent ailments such as opaque functioning, power tussles, office-bearer factionalism, and accusations of financial mismanagement. Available frameworks such as the National Sports Code, 2011, have failed because they were not backed by the teeth of enforcement by virtue of regulatory powers. The National Sports Governance Bill is conceived to fill these gaps by providing a statutory framework for modern, transparent, and efficient sports administration based on international best practices.

Implications

For National Sports Federations: All NSFs, once largely autonomous bodies like the BCCI, will be brought under central control, and will have to institutionalize transparency, electoral, and financial norms or be disaffiliated.

For Athletes: The new institutions promise more sportsperson-centred policies, more balanced grievance redress, and protection of marginal groups, improving the environment for sports persons.

For Indian Sport: Through making the governance more streamlined and harmonizing Indian sports administration with world-leading sporting nations (e.g., USA, UK, China, and Japan), the Bill can be expected to raise accountability, reduce conflicts, and enhance outcomes internationally.

The National Sports Governance Bill of 2025 is a major paradigm shift to modern, transparent, and efficient regulation of India's sporting landscape. By establishing new governance, regulating, and adjudicating bodies, and by mandating stricter adherence to norms of ethics, fiscal prudence, and athlete protection, the Bill aims to place Indian sport on an improved competitive international platform while ensuring robust athlete welfare and organizational transparency.