The National Sports Governance Bill on Tuesday became an Act after President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the historic legislation aimed at revamping India’s sports administration.
The information was released through a Gazette notification by the central government, a day after the Presidential assent.
“The following Act of Parliament received the assent of the President on the 18th August, 2025 and is hereby published for general information — The National Sports Governance Act, 2025,” it stated.
A landmark day for Indian sports
The sports bill, which had been in the pipeline for over a decade, was passed recently in both houses after extensive discussions with several stakeholders over the past year.
The bill was presented by Sports Minister Mansukh Mandavia in the Lok Sabha on July 23. It was passed on August 11. A day later Rajya Sabha passed it following a long discussion that lasted well over two hours.
The new act will lay down the governance criteria for all sports bodies in the country. It also mandates the creation of a National Sports Tribunal for speedy dispute resolution.
The bill also calls for the creation of a National Sports Election Panel to oversee NSF polls that are often marred by politics and controversies.
Meanwhile, in a new developement, aspirants for top posts in national federations will be required to serve just one term in the Executive Committee, instead of two terms prescribed earlier. The Sports Ministry decided to change the term from two to one as it wants to encourage “younger administrators and athlete-leaders”.
The bill initially mandated two terms in the Executive Committee for anyone applying for the top three posts. The provision has been relaxed through an amendment to a minimum of one term after consultations with stakeholders.
(With PTI Inputs)