Union sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday introduced the National Sports Governance Bill in Lok Sabha that proposes to institute a board which will have sweeping powers to lay down rules and oversee the functioning of federations, including the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and relaxation of
the term-limits for the office bearers.

Mandaviya introduced the bill that has provisions for a National Sports Board (NSB) to create a stringent system of accountability. All national sports federations (NSFs) will have to attain NSB’s recognition for access to central government funding.

Another feature is the proposal for a National Sports Tribunal, which will have the powers of a civil court and decide disputes ranging from selection to election involving federations and athletes. Once instituted, Tribunal’s decisions can only be challenged in the Supreme Court.

The bill makes some concessions on the issue of age cap for administrators by allowing those in the bracket of 70 to 75 to contest elections if the concerned international bodies’ statutes and byelaws allow for it. It is a departure from the national sports code that capped the age limit at 70.

The bill also allows office-bearers (president, secretary general and treasurer) to serve three consecutive terms of a maximum of 12 years and remain eligible for election to the Executive Committee after a cooling-off period.

“...as a part of the preparatory activities for the bidding of Summer Olympic Games 2036, it is imperative that the sports governance landscape undergoes a positive transformation to bring better outcomes, sporting excellence and aids in improved performance in major international competitions,” read the bill’s statement of objectives.

All recognised national sports bodies would also fall under the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, a provision that the BCCI has vehemently opposed, as it is not dependent on government funding. “Now we have to study the bill and we will have to see if we need to place it before the committee (apex council). We can only comment after that,” BCCI vice-president and Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Shukla said outside the Parliament.

Mandaviya also introduced The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill 2025 that seeks to incorporate the changes sought by the World Anti-Doping Agency, which objected to “government interference” in the functioning of the country’s anti-doping agency (Nada).