If the Draft National Sports Governance Bill 2024 becomes law, sports management in the country will see a big change. The draft, available on the sports ministry’s website, is open for suggestions. Among the slew of proposed changes, a few focal points merit broader discussion. One is the setting up of a Sports Regulatory Board of India to oversee the functioning of the national Olympic committee (NOC), national sports federations (NSFs) and other sports bodies of the country.
The board could be a big step towards regularising good governance and seamless coordination between all stakeholders. The bill also says that the NOC and all NSFs must be affiliated with the board. However, the ministry should be mindful not to infringe on the autonomy of the NOC or NSFs. According to the International Olympic Committee charter, there should be no third party interfering in an NOC’s governance.
One of the most talked about points is who the board’s designated office-bearers would be and their term. The new Indian Olympic Association constitution calls all executive council members office-bearers, while the bill, which follows the Sports Code, considers only the president, secretary general/secretary and treasurer as office-bearers.
The tenure of the office-bearers seems ambiguous, too. As per the code, the secretary and treasurer can at most serve two consecutive four-year terms, followed by a cooling-off period and another four years. But the IOA constitution allows a maximum of 12 years for office-bearers.
Another highlight is a proposed appellate sports tribunal. Right now, there are multiple cases in the Delhi High Court involving NSFs. Administrators are governing some of the NSFs on court directives. Several court orders and directives have been issued to NSFs to follow the Sports Code.
If the appellate panel is formed, all these will end as the draft bill says “all civil cases concerning matters coming under the scope of this bill and in which the NOC, NPC or an NSF has been impleaded as party” that are pending in the lower judiciary or a high court would be transferred to the tribunal. Its success will depend on the judges chosen and the cases handled. It should surely not end up like the current NSF governance mess. It’s a bold move by the government but its success will depend on smart implementation.