Draft National Sports Governance Bill, 2024 Shared for Comments

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has issued the Draft National Sports Bill, 2024 for stakeholder comments. The bill seeks to promote sports, the welfare of sportspersons, and ethical practices in sports through a good governance structure, the establishment of institutional capacity and alignment with international standards.

The draft provides for the establishment of a central regulatory authority that could grant recognition to National Sports Federations (NSFs) and ensure compliance with governance, financial, and ethical standards. It also prescribes the structure of national sports bodies such as the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) and NSFs to safeguard against misuse. Further, mandatory provisions have been introduced for ethical governance, with the establishment of Ethics Commissions and Dispute Resolution Commissions. The bill seeks to align the Indian sports governance framework with global charters and international best practices to create a globally acceptable structure essential for hosting international events.

From athletes’ perspective, the bill ensures representation and participation in policy formulation through the creation of an Athletes Commission with additional funding by the government and a ‘Safe Sports Policy’. The bill also offers guidelines on recognition and regulation of National Sports Promotion Organizations (NSPOs) and further provides for the creation of a dedicated appellate sports tribunal as well as Ad-hoc Normalization Committees.

Further, strict compliance with global anti-doping and ethical standards has been emphasized, along with accountability and transparency in sports bodies by subjecting them to the RTI Act. Measures have also been suggested for promotion of inclusivity and gender representation, free and fair sports elections and restrictions on the use of national names and insignia.

A notable change is the creation of the tribunal as all pending matters except issues related to the Olympic, Commonwealth and Asian Games will be transferred to the tribunal and appeals would only lie to the Supreme Court. Similarly, relaxation in the age of the office bearers and their tenure could be a bone of contention.

Suggestions may be shared with the ministry by sending an email at draft.sportsbill@gov.in by October 25, 2024 (Friday).