CHENNAI: In another significant move to improve sports governance, the sports ministry notified the rules of the National Sports Governance Act, 2025, especially for the Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOMs). The rules also specified that persons convicted in any Indian court will not be eligible to contest elections.
The National Sports Bodies that include Indian Olympic Association (IOA), Indian Paralympic Committee (IPC), the national sports federations and the regional sports federations shall have at least four SOMs in the general body. The rules notified on January 12 also lay down a 10 tier system for categorizing and selecting SOMs in various national bodies.
According to the new rule, only sportspersons who have accomplishment in the Olympics shall be considered for a post in the IOA. “In case of applicants seeking inclusion to the sportspersons of outstanding merit roster of the National Olympic Committee, such applicant shall have achieved the milestone in the relevant Tier in an Olympic discipline only, while representing India.”
The relevant criteria are under Tier 1 to 3 which speak of Olympics and Paralympics. Tier 1 is for those who won medals at the Olympics, while Tier two is participation in at least two Olympics and the third is for those who played in one Olympics.
According to Tier 1: “Applicants who have won at least one of any gold, silver or bronze medal in the Summer Olympic Games or Winter Olympic Games, provided that any medal if rescinded, shall not be considered for the qualification of having achieved outstanding merit, under this Tier.” What seems interesting is that there is provision of an SOM disqualification if a medal is ‘rescinded’, which usually happens in the case of doping.
Though merits sense, the rule may keep many sportspersons out of IOA because there are a restricted number of sports in which India have representation at the Olympics. And there are examples when sportspersons have been selected not through qualification but through universality quota. The restrictive clause the sports ministry has been promoting might be back in IOA and IPC elections.
For national federations, an SOM should have achieved milestone in sport concerning that federation while representing India. The Tiers 4 to 9 speak of representation in international competitions. The last Tier 10 is for “who have won at least one of any gold, silver or bronze medal or equivalent placing in the National Games or a National Championship or equivalent competition”.
Election notification
The Gazette notification lays down election rules as well. The election will be conducted over a period of 21 days from the call for elections, invitation for nominations and release of final electoral roll. The election must be conducted “at least 30 days prior to the expiry of such Executive Committee’s term”. With a 30-day notification period, it would mean the process should ideally begin two months before the end of the term. All elections will be conducted by an electoral official provided by the National Sports Election Panel. The fees have been fixed at maximum amount of `5 lakh for conduction of election and mutually agreed fees for an assistant. “In respect of each election, the National Sports Body shall, on the basis of mutual agreement with the Electoral Officer, pay a maximum amount of rupees five lakhs as fees…” The election panel would have at least 20 members in it.
The rule also stipulates that all NSF should include provisions to constitute Athletes Committee, an Ethics Committee and a Dispute Resolution Committee.
Convicted persons out
The new rules will continue to keep convicted persons out of election process. “A person shall be disqualified from being a member of the General Body, or of any committee of a National Sports Body, and shall not be eligible for contesting for election to the Executive Committee or the Athletes Committee, if such person is- (a) declared insolvent under applicable law; or (b) subject to a conviction by a court of competent jurisdiction in India for an offence, followed by a sentence of imprisonment...," said the new rule.