The long -awaited National Sports Government Bill was passed with the Sports Minister on Monday in the Lok Sabha. Mansukh Mandavia Describing it as “single biggest improvement in Indian Games after independence” amid opposition to the amendment of electoral rolls in Bihar.
The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill was also passed when the Lok Sabha again assured the initial postponement due to the protest at 2 pm. “This is the biggest improvement in sports since independence. This bill will ensure accountability, ensure justice, the best governance in sports associations,” Mandavia Said between the opposition members raising slogans.
He said, “It will have a massive importance in India’s sports ecosystem. It is unfortunate that such an important bill and opposition is not involved in reform,” he said.
Opposition leaders were not present in the House when the bills were introduced to consider and pass because most of them were detained while marching towards the Election Commission headquarters against special intensive amendment of electoral rolls in Bihar and alleged voter data fudging.
But after participating in the idea debate, two MPs returned to the House, speaking in support of the bill, and started shouting slogans. Between Din, the bill was passed by a voice vote, after which the House was postponed by 4 pm.
‘National Sports Bill Governance Bill is a force of change’
Earlier, Digvijay Singh, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee, requested the game. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla To mention the National Sports Government Bill to the panel. He felt that the bill should be examined and discussed before the Parliament took it.
Mandavia said that two bills were the major reforms aimed at building “transparent, accountable and world class ecosystem” in India, as the country aims to bid for the 2036 Olympics.
“Efforts have been made since 1975 and in 1985, we had the first draft. But the game was also politicized for personal gain. Some ministers tried to bring the bill but could not move forward.
The minister said, “In 2011, we had a national sports code. Another attempt was made to convert it into a bill. It reached the cabinet, as well as a discussion, but after that the bill was postponed. It did not reach Parliament.”
He said, “The National Sports Bill is a force of governance bill change … Despite being such a big country, our performance in the Olympic Games and on the international stage has not been satisfactory and the aim of this bill is to create India’s sports potential,” he said.
The Sports Governance Bill has provisions to create a stringent system of accountability for a National Sports Board (NSB). All national sports associations (NSFs) will have to get NSB recognition for access to the funding of the central government.
What can the National Sports Bill do?
The NSB will have a mandate to recognize a national body who fails to hold elections for its executive committee or “gross irregularities in election processes”.
Failure to publish the annual audited accounts or “misuse, wrong or wrongly public funds” will also be responsible for action by NSB, but will need to consult the concerned global body before its step.
Another feature is a proposal for a National Sports Tribunal, which will have powers of a civil court and will have to decide from selection to elections from elections to associations and athletes. Once established, the decisions of the tribunal can only be challenged in the Supreme Court.
Bill gives some concessions on the issue of age cap for administrators by allowing those in brackets of 70 to 75, if the laws and bylaws of the concerned international bodies allow it. This is a departure from the National Sports Code that reduced the age limit on 70.
“… as a part of the initial activities for the bid of the Summer Olympic Games 2036, it is necessary that the sports regime goes through a positive change to bring better in major international competitions, sports excellence and better results to AIDS,” read statements of the bill.
Leave for control board for cricket in India
All recognized national sports bodies will also come under the purview of the right to information (right to Information) Act, something that BCCI It has been opposed since the government did not depend on funding.
However, the Cricket Board has found some legs on the front in which the government has amended the bill to ensure that RTI will apply only to bodies that rely on government money or support.
National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill-2025 which attempts to include changes sought by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which objected to “government intervention” in the functioning of the country’s doping anti-agency (NADA).
The act was originally passed in 2022, but its implementation had to be stopped due to the objections raised by Wada.
The world body objected to the organization of a National Board for doping in the game, which was empowered to make recommendations to the government on anti-doping rules.
The board, which included a chairman and two members appointed by the central government, was also authorized to oversee the National Doping Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and even issued guidelines for it.
Wada dismissed this provision as government intervention in an autonomous body. In the revised bill, the board is retained, but it was assigned earlier without the powers of the NADA or advisory role. The amended bill has claimed NADA’s “operational freedom”.
