Sports fraternity hails PM for National Sports Bill

Indian athletes and officials hailed the National Sports Governance and Anti-Doping Bills 2025 as landmark reforms, praising PM Modi for prioritising transparency, athlete welfare, safe sport policies, and governance reforms

Hyderabad: The Indian sporting community has lauded the National Sports Governance Bill 2025 and the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill 2025, which were passed by Parliament on Tuesday, August 12, 2025. Athletes, coaches, sports administrators and others have hailed it as a long-overdue reform to bring good governance and protect athlete interests.

Badminton star Lakshya Sen took to social media platform X to express his appreciation on the passage of the legislation. “Historic moment for Indian sports! The #SportsBill2025, passed by both Houses, sets new standards in governance, transparency & athlete welfare. Thank you PM Shri Narendra Modi for making fairness & welfare the pillars of sports,” he wrote.

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Sumit Antil, India’s para-javelin star, posted, “The passage of Sports Bill 2025 in both houses of Parliament will bring transparency and fairness to sports administration! The National Sports Election Panel, Code of Conduct, Safe Sports Policy, and Grievance Redressal Mechanism will ensure that the voices of all stakeholders are heard and respected.”

Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports and Labour & Employment, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, referred to the passing of the National Sports Governance Bill 2025 as the single biggest reform in the sports sector since Independence.

V Kalyan Chaubey, President of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), said, “I congratulate Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya for bringing this Bill after four decades. This benefits Indian sports in two major areas. Firstly, it sets down the formation of the National Sports Board with the authority to grant or cancel registration or recognition of a sports organization. Secondly, hundreds of litigations, pending in courts, will be addressed by the Sports Tribunal, saving unnecessary expenditure that can now be used to further the development of sports.
This legislation will ensure that our athletes are clean, especially when the country is about to host a major international game.”

Indian Davis Cup captain Rohit Rajpal said, “It was a much-needed reform for sports in India. We were lagging behind in many areas in dispute resolution, where every association is more or less in court, unfortunately causing many delays. This Bill will be a game-changer in terms of sports promotion and development.”

One of the key facets of the Bill is the Safe Sport Policy, which mandates the adoption of athlete protection frameworks, grievance redressal mechanisms, and safeguards against harassment, especially for women, divyang, and minors. Paralympic champion Avani Lekhara, who has won three medals across two editions of the Paralympics, wrote, “The Sports Bill 2025, passed by both Houses, ensures safety, dignity & progress for women & para-athletes with Safe Sports Policy & equal opportunities. Thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for turning inclusivity into action.”

Rohit Rajpal, Chairman of the IOA Anti-Doping Committee, also commented on the Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill:
“It will be a game‑changer for sports in India, resolving disputes faster and bringing clarity for athletes and sports administration alike. We must collaborate with associations to foster greater inclusivity. Having served in NADA, I bring some understanding of anti‑doping governance. We look forward to working with WADA, and we also need athletes to raise their level of awareness.”