Introduction
The National Sports Governance Bill, 2025 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on July 23, 2025, and subsequently passed on August 11, 2025. Following a detailed discussion, the Rajya Sabha approved it on August 12, 2025. Later, on August 18, 2025, the President of India gave her assent to the bill, and thus, it became an act.
The National Sports Governance Act, 2025 is meant for the sports administration of India. The main objective of the act is to improve upon the different aspects of sports administration in India and to regulate them. This act provides an outline for better governance in the national sports federations (NSFs) and Indian Olympic Association (IOA). That is, the act recognises the national sports organisations and supervises their day-to-day operations.
Aims of the National Sports Governance Act, 2025
The main aims of this act are as follows:
- To create and promote ethical practices depending on fundamental universal principles of ethics, good governance, and fairness in the Olympic and sports movement
- To develop and promote welfare initiatives for sportspersons
- To develop and encourage different sports activities
- To create the Olympic Charter and the Paralympic Charter and advocate them
- To follow international best practices and recognised legal standards
- To frame policies for resolving grievances and disputes related to sports, athletes, and administrators in the country
- To ensure that the resolution is done efficiently in a just and fair manner
Key Features of the Act
Some key features of this act are given below:
(i) Establishment of National Sports Governing Bodies: The act mandates the formation of national sports governing bodies including (a) National Olympic Committee, (b) National Paralympic Committee, and (c) National and Regional Sports Federations for every sport, recognised by the government. These national bodies will be affiliated with the concerned international federations. Further, there will be affiliate units of these bodies at the district and state levels as well in the country.
Each of these national sports governing bodies must: (a) constitute a general body, an executive committee, an ethics committee, a dispute resolution committee, and an athletes committee for effective functioning; (b) frame a code of ethics to monitor the conduct of affiliates, members, coaches, athletes, and sponsors; and (c) establish a system for grievance redressal to ensure fair resolution of complaints.
These bodies will be mainly administered by the international charters and statutes. If a conflict arises with this act, the central government will be authorised to intervene and issue clarifications.
(ii) Administrative Structure of the National Bodies: Every national sports-governing body will have a general body, comprising ex-officio members along with the representatives from each affiliate member. Note that these representatives should be of the same number per affiliate member. Besides, there will be an executive committee consisting of up to 15 members, functioning as the governing unit. Among these members, minimum four women and two notable sportspersons must be included.
A member of the executive committee must meet the following requirements:
- He/she must be between 25 and 70 years old.
- However, the international standards may allow any person, who is between 70-75 years old, to become the member and hold the office for a full term.
- In relation to age and term limits, he/she must abide by the international standards, i.e., statute, charter or by-laws of international federations.
Further, a president, a secretary general and a treasurer will also be a part of each national body. A person holding any of these positions can provide his services only for three consecutive terms, whether in the same position or in combination.
The criteria to hire people for these positions include:
- He/she must be a sportsperson with remarkable performance to his credit; or,
- He/she must have held the position of a member of the executive committee at least for one full term. (Relaxed from the earlier two-term requirement to encourage younger and athlete leaders.)
(iii) Establishment of the National Sports Board: As per the act, the central government is authorised to form a National Sports Board (NSB). Some major functions of the NSB are as follows:
- To register national sports bodies and their affiliate units or grant recognition to them
- To release guidelines regarding code of ethics and compliance with international standards
- Framing policies, including a safe sports policy
- To make an inquiry into the affairs related to the sports development, welfare of sportspersons, misuse of funds and poor governance
- To form ad-hoc administrative body in case a national body loses its international recognition
- To cancel the registration or recognition under certain circumstances
The central government may give financial assistance only to the registered bodies and their affiliate units. Others will be ineligible to receive any such funds.
The NSB will comprise a specified number of members headed by a chairperson. Only a person with special knowledge or experience in sports governance, public administration, sports law, and other such fields is eligible to be a member of the NSB. The members of the NSB will be appointed by the central government on the advice of a search-cum-selection committee. The composition of such committee will be specified by the central government.
(iv) Safe Sports Policy: A landmark provision of this act is the requirement for all national sports bodies to adopt a safe sports policy.
- This policy protects women, minors, and vulnerable persons from harassment and abuse.
- Each body must establish a grievance redressal mechanism and ensure athlete protection and welfare.
(v) Supervision of Elections: In order to supervise the election process of the NSBs, the act provides for the creation of a National Sports Election Panel by the central government. Besides, there must be an electoral panel in every NSB to monitor elections of its affiliates.
(vi) Establishment of National Sports Tribunal: The act provides for the establishment of a National Sports Tribunal to resolve disputes. However, some specific disputes will not be within the jurisdiction of this tribunal, including the internal issues of NSBs and disputes associated with sports, administered by international organisations.
A chairperson and two members will make up the tribunal. The chairperson must be the former or current judge of the Supreme Court or the chief justice of a high court. The two members must be the renowned persons, who have expertise in sports, law, and public administration. The appointments to the tribunal will be done on the advice of a search-cum-selection committee. The committee will comprise a sports secretary, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) or a Supreme Court judge selected by CJI, and the law secretary.
The tribunal will be authorised with the same powers as those of a civil court. If someone goes against its decisions, he/she will be answerable to the Supreme Court. He/she can be exempted from this clause if one needs to follow international rules.
Exclusions: The tribunal will not deal with disputes
- during major international sporting events, where disciplinary mechanisms of the event organisers prevail.
- related to doping, as these are covered under the jurisdiction of National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Where applicable, appeals against decisions will lie with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Lausanne, Switzerland, which remains the final international body for sports dispute settlement.
(vii) Powers of the Central Government: If deemed necessary, the central government has the power of giving an exemption to a national body or its affiliates from any provision(s) of the act. This can be done in order to promote a particular sport in the interest of the general public. It may also impose restrictions on international participation in extraordinary circumstances.
(viii) Privileges and Duties of Recognised Bodies: Recognised sports organisations under the act are treated as public authorities within the meaning of the Right to Information Act, 2005, but only to the extent of activities linked with government funding and utilisation of public resources. They are legally bound to comply not only with the provisions of the National Sports Governance Act but also with the Olympic Charter, international federation guidelines, and other international sporting obligations. Further, to maintain national dignity and prevent misuse of official nomenclature, such bodies are required to obtain prior approval from the Government of India for the use of the terms ‘India’, ‘Indian’, or ‘National’ in their names, titles, or events, as well as for displaying the national emblem, flag, or insignia.
(ix) Funding and Audits: The act establishes a National Sports Board Fund, which will serve as the central financial repository for meeting the salaries of members, staff, administrative costs, and approved expenditure for the promotion and regulation of sports governance. The fund will also be utilised for schemes and initiatives aimed at strengthening transparency and accountability in sports administration. To ensure strict financial propriety, the accounts of the National Sports Board will be maintained in the prescribed manner and mandatorily audited by the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG), with reports laid before Parliament.
(x) Miscellaneous Provisions: The act includes safeguard clauses protecting officers and institutions from legal proceedings for actions taken in good faith under its mandate. It also vests the central government with the authority to issue rules, notifications, and directions to remove practical difficulties that may arise in the course of implementation. The central government may issue directions to address implementation difficulties. It will come into force on dates notified by the Government of India, with different provisions commencing at different times.
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