Syllabus: GS2/ Government Policy & Intervention
Context
- Recently, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports introduced the National Sports Governance Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha.
| Rationale Behind the Bill – Legacy of Governance Failures: India’s sports governance has long relied on the Sports Code (2011), a non-statutory framework lacking enforceability. 1. It seeks to provide a legal backbone to governance, minimize judicial overreach, and bring administrative coherence. In its absence: (a). Courts frequently intervened in sports administration. (b).Numerous federation elections and decisions landed in prolonged litigation. (c). Several federations are now operated by ad hoc committees. – Lessons from the Past: The Bill borrows major provisions from the Draft National Sports Policy 2007 and the National Sports Development Bills of the previous decade — both of which failed to materialize into law. |
Key Objectives of the Bill
- Establish a National Sports Board (NSB) to regulate and recognize National Sports Federations (NSFs).
- Create a National Sports Tribunal with civil court powers to resolve disputes involving athletes and federations.
- Ensure transparency, accountability, and ethical governance across all sports bodies.
- Promote athlete-centric policies, including representation in decision-making
Major Provisions of the Bill
- RTI Compliance: All recognized sports bodies, including the BCCI, will be subject to the Right to Information Act, enhancing public accountability.
- Athlete Representation: At least 10% of voting members in NSFs need to be sportspersons of outstanding merit, with gender balance mandated in executive committees.
- Mandates that at least 25% of federation executives be former athletes.
- Safe Sport Policy: Introduces safeguards against harassment and abuse, especially for women and minors, in line with the POSH Act, 2013.
- Term Limits: Federation presidents and top officials face term caps to prevent entrenched power structures.
- Election Oversight: A National Sports Election Panel aims to ensure free and fair elections within federations.
- Athlete Rights and Dispute Resolution: The Bill formalizes a multi-tiered dispute resolution structure first, through internal dispute chambers within federations; then, to the National Sports Tribunal. The Supreme Court remains the final recourse.
- This model is inspired by global precedents such as FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Global Alignment and Olympic Aspirations
- The National Sports Governance Bill, 2025 draws from international charters such as the Olympic Charter and Paralympic Charter, and incorporates inputs from bodies like the IOC and FIFA.
- It directly responds to longstanding concerns about mismanagement, lack of oversight, and the need for reforms in bodies such as the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and various National Sports Federations (NSFs).
- It is seen as a preparatory step for India’s bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games, signaling a commitment to clean, fair, and professional sports governance.
Key Concerns Surrounding the Bill
- Age and Tenure: The Bill raises the upper age limit for administrators to 75 and removes tenure restrictions, ostensibly to help Indian administrators gain seniority in international sports bodies, and promote leadership continuity.
- It raises legitimate concerns about entrenchment and institutional capture, and demands cautious implementation.
- Autonomy of Sports Bodies: The proposed Sports Regulatory Board could undermine the autonomy of the IOA and NSFs, risking suspension by the IOC for government interference.
- The bill lacks clarity on the role of State Olympic Associations, potentially weakening decentralization efforts.
- Government Overreach: Bill replaces lower courts for sports disputes and allows final appeals in the Supreme Court of India.
Implications for Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
- BCCI has historically functioned outside government control. This Bill intends to change that by:
- Bringing BCCI under the legal umbrella, despite it not being an NSF.
- Potentially aligning its governance norms with those of the NSFs.
- This would alter existing BCCI rules on age limits and term restrictions for office-bearers.
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