Sports Governance Act begins phased rollout with reforms

The National Sports Governance Act has partially come into effect, paving the way for the National Sports Board and Tribunal. The phased rollout introduces reforms in sports federations, elections, and athlete representation, with full implementation set for January 2026

New Delhi: The National Sports Governance Act partially came into effect on Thursday with provisions that will set the ball rolling for the institution of a National Sports Board (NSB) and a Tribunal to handle sporting disputes, notified as enforced by the central government.

The Act was notified on August 18 last year and has been described as the single biggest sporting reform in the country by Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

---

The provisions being brought into effect relate to the establishment and governance framework of National Sports Bodies, including the National Olympic Committee, National Paralympic Committee, National Sports Federations (NSFs) and Regional Sports Federations.

“…the provisions of sections 1 to 3, sub-sections (1), (2) and (4) of section 4, sub-sections (1) and (2) of section 5, sub-section (5) of section 8, sub-section (1) of section 11, sections 14 and 15, sub-sections (1) to (7) and (10) of section 17, sections 30 and 31, and sections 33 to 38 of the said Act shall come into force,” stated a late-night press release from the Sports Ministry on Wednesday.

After elections under the provisions of the Act, all these bodies will be required to have Executive Committees of no more than 15 members with at least two Sportspersons of Merit (SOMs) in them.

The constitution of the National Sports Board (NSB) and the National Sports Tribunal (NST) will also get underway with the partial implementation.

The NSB will feature a Chairperson and members appointed by the Central Government from among “persons of ability, integrity and standing who possess special knowledge or practical experience in the field of public administration, sports governance, sports law and other related fields.” The appointments will be made on the basis of recommendations of a search-cum-selection committee, which is yet to be finalised.

“The phased commencement of the Act is aimed at ensuring a smooth transition to the statutory sports governance framework,” the ministry said.

The ministry has already allowed NSFs, which have elections due in the next few months, to postpone the process till December for the full-scale implementation of the Act. This means that elections of the All India Football Federation will be held late in the year.

“With effect from 1 January 2026, the institutional mechanisms envisaged under the notified provisions of the Act shall become operational,” it stated.

The NSB, which is proposed to be a three-member body, will have the power to not just grant affiliation to the National Sports Federations (NSFs) but also monitor their financial operations and penalise them for any wrongdoing once the Act becomes fully operational.

It would be mandatory for the NSFs to take NSB affiliation to be eligible for government funding. The age cap for all members of the NSB has been fixed at 65, and all members will be eligible for re-appointment for one more term subject to the age limit.

The members of the National Sports Tribunal will hold office for four years with an age cap of 67 years, as per the rules of implementation that the ministry posted for public feedback in October.

A National Sports Election Panel (NSEP) is also due to be constituted to manage elections of NSFs and other sports bodies.

Criteria for SOM
The rules of implementation made public by the ministry lay down a tiered criteria for athletes, who are being encouraged to take up administrative roles as per the provisions of the Act.

The interested athletes should be retired from their sport at least one year before applying for the position in administration, and only those who have won an Olympic medal or participated in at least one Olympics would be eligible for inclusion in the National Olympic Committee.

The criteria is slightly relaxed for inclusion in the federations, with a National Sports Award or medals in the World Championship of the concerned discipline being enough for entry.

Tier one athletes will be those who have won at least a medal in the Olympics or Winter Olympics, while tier two would comprise applicants who have participated in two or more editions of the Olympic or Winter Olympic Games.

There are 10 tiers in descending order of achievements in different sporting events.