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NDTV
23-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
National Sports Bill: How It's Different From National Sports Code
With the introduction of the National Sports Governance Bill in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, India has taken a big step towards joining powers like the USA, UK, China, and Japan which have laws in place for streamlined administrative set-ups. The bill, once it becomes an act, will complete a journey that started back in 2011 when the then Sports Minister Ajay Maken began his push for a legislation to set some benchmarks for the sports administrators. The mostly long-serving administrators were and still are often accused of indulging in power struggles, infighting, financial misappropriation and showing a distinct lack of intent to overcome any of these issues. But with the new bill, accountability will be in place through a National Sports Board, a National Sports Tribunal and the National Sports Election Panel. All of this took shape over months of dialogue that current Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya undertook with stakeholders, soon after taking charge last year. Once the bill was finalised, Mandaviya gave due credit to Maken, his political opponent from the Congress party, for "doing good work in shaping the National Sports Code, 2011" which was in operation till now. "The National Sports Development Code of India, 2011 established good governance practices for sports bodies, essential for healthy development of sports in the country," stated the objectives of the new bill. Here's a look at the timeline of how the code turned into a bill with significant changes. The Journey: ========= *In 2011, the Ministry prepared Draft National Sports Development Bill and placed it before Cabinet for approval. However, it was met with vehement opposition due to strict capping of age and tenure for administrators. *In July 2013, the Ministry prepared a revised Draft National Sports Development Bill and placed it in public domain to invite suggestions and comments. However, this Bill was not pursued and a year later, the Delhi High Court upheld the Sports Code 2011. *In 2015, a Working Group was constituted for re-drafting of National Sports Development Code, 2011. But the inclusion of Indian Olympic Association top brass in this group was challenged in the Delhi High Court as a case of conflict of interest. *In 2017, a Committee was constituted under then sports secretary Injeti Srinivas, to prepare the '(Draft) National Code for Good Governance in Sports, 2017'. Olympic gold medal-winning shooter Abhinav Bindra, and other sports greats like Anju Bobby George, and Prakash Padukone, along with then then IOA head Narinder Batra were among the members in the committee. The Draft Sports Code was also challenged in the Delhi High Court, which ordered that committee's report be submitted to it in a sealed cover. *In 2019, the Ministry constituted an Expert Committee under Justice (Retd.) Mukundakam Sharma to review the Draft Sports Code 2017 and "suggest measures for making it acceptable to all the stakeholders". That same year, the Delhi High Court stayed the constitution of this committee, an order that is in effect till date. *In October 2024, the Draft National Sports Governance Bill was released to the public for comments and suggestions. There were extensive consultation sessions held with the IOA, the National Sports Federations, athletes, coaches, legal experts and even private bodies that are involved in athlete management. The bill was also shared with the International Olympic Committe and International Federations including World Athletics, FIFA, and the International Hockey Federation (FIH) among others. The ministry received "over 700 responses" as part of the feedback from various stakeholders, including general public before it finally made its way to the Parliament. The differences with Sports Code: ===================== *Age Cap: While the Sports Code capped the age of administrators at 70, the new bill allows an office-bearer to complete his/her tenure if they were less than 70 at the time of filing nominations. A further relaxation of another five years has been made for contesting elections if the international statutes and byelaws allow for it in the concerned sports body. *Tenure: The Sports Code allowed three terms with a cooling off period after two terms for the President and two terms for Treasurer and Secretary. The new sports bill 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. "This has been done to ensure continuity and also to keep competent people within the system," a sports ministry source said. *Executive Committee: The sports code had no provision for mandatory women's representation in the committee whose strength was capped at 15. The new bill mandates that at least four members of the EC must be women along with two sportspersons of outstanding merit. *Regulatory Body: The sports code had no provisions for a regulatory body to oversee NSFs, leaving the power to recognise or derecognise in the hands of the sports ministry. But the sports governance bill outlines the creation of a National Sports Board which will fulfill this role. *The National Sports Tribunal, which will adjudicate sporting disputes, the National Sports Election Panel to oversee polls in NSFs and the Ethics Commission were not a part of the Sports Code. All these bodies will have a significant role to play once the bill becomes an act.
India Today
23-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
National Sports Bill vs National Sports Code: What's the difference?
In a landmark move to reform sports governance in India, the Union Government on Wednesday introduced the National Sports Governance Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha. The bill, once enacted, is expected to replace the existing National Sports Development Code of India (2011), ushering in a new era of transparency, accountability and institutional oversight in Indian sports the 2011 Sports Code served as a guiding framework for good governance, it lacked the legal backing needed to enforce critical reforms. The new bill aims to fill that gap with several key departures from the code, including the creation of statutory bodies and revised eligibility norms for sports Differences: Sports Code vs Sports Bill1. From Guidelines to Law The Sports Code was essentially a set of executive guidelines issued by the Sports Ministry. In contrast, the Sports Bill is a formal piece of legislation. Once passed, it will carry legal authority and make governance norms enforceable through statutory mechanisms.2. Age and Tenure RelaxationUnder the Sports Code, the age limit for office-bearers was capped at 70. The new bill allows those under 70 at the time of filing nominations to complete their terms. It also introduces a five-year relaxation if permitted by international federation terms of tenure, the code allowed the President to serve three terms, with a mandatory cooling-off period after two. The new bill permits three consecutive terms, up to 12 years, for the President, Secretary General and Treasurer, followed by a cooling-off period before becoming eligible for election to the Executive Committee again.3. Greater RepresentationThe 2011 Code had no mandatory provision for gender or athlete representation. The bill requires at least four women and two athletes of outstanding merit in the Executive Committee of National Sports Federations (NSFs), increasing inclusivity and athlete voice in decision-making.4. Independent Regulatory BodiesOne of the most significant changes is the establishment of three new statutory institutions:National Sports Board, which will oversee the functioning and compliance of NSFsNational Sports Tribunal, to handle disputes related to governance and athlete issuesNational Sports Election Panel, to ensure fair and transparent elections in sports bodiesThese bodies are designed to reduce ministerial overreach and address long-standing issues of internal politics, mismanagement and election Long Road to ReformThe introduction of the bill is the result of more than a decade of efforts to clean up Indian sports governance. The reform journey began in 2011, when then Sports Minister Ajay Maken introduced the first Draft National Sports Development Bill, which faced strong opposition from within the political and sports establishment due to its strict age and tenure the following years, multiple attempts were made to revise and reintroduce the bill. These included:A 2013 draft released for public comments, which was not pursued 2017 Draft Code for Good Governance in Sports, prepared by a committee under Sports Secretary Injeti Srinivas, with members like Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra and international athletes Anju Bobby George and Prakash Padukone.A 2019 expert committee led by Justice (Retd.) Mukundakam Sharma, which was stayed by the Delhi High Court and remains inactive due to ongoing October 2024, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports released the Draft National Sports Governance Bill for public feedback. The government received more than 700 responses from athletes, federations, legal experts, private sports bodies and international stakeholders including the IOC, FIFA, World Athletics and the International Hockey Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who oversaw the final consultation process, acknowledged the contribution of Ajay Maken, stating that the former Congress minister "did good work in shaping the National Sports Code, 2011." Mandaviya noted that the new bill builds on that foundation but gives it stronger enforcement Comes NextOnce passed by Parliament, the National Sports Governance Act will replace the 2011 code and establish a comprehensive legal framework for sports governance in India. The bill is expected to bring Indian sports administration in line with global best practices, similar to countries like the United States, United Kingdom, China and Japan, all of which have formal sports laws in India emerging as a growing sporting power on the global stage, the bill could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country's athletes receive the support, transparency and professionalism they deserve.- EndsMust Watch
Time of India
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
National Sports Bill: How is it different from National Sports Code?
Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya addresses the Youth Spiritual Summit (PTI Photo) With the introduction of the National Sports Governance Bill in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, India has taken a big step towards joining powers like the USA, UK, China, and Japan which have laws in place for streamlined administrative set-ups. The bill, once it becomes an act, will complete a journey that started back in 2011 when the then Sports Minister Ajay Maken began his push for a legislation to set some benchmarks for the sports administrators. The mostly long-serving administrators were and still are often accused of indulging in power struggles, infighting, financial misappropriation and showing a distinct lack of intent to overcome any of these issues. But with the new bill, accountability will be in place through a National Sports Board, a National Sports Tribunal and the National Sports Election Panel. All of this took shape over months of dialogue that current Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya undertook with stakeholders, soon after taking charge last year. Once the bill was finalised, Mandaviya gave due credit to Maken, his political opponent from the Congress party, for "doing good work in shaping the National Sports Code, 2011" which was in operation till now. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like AirSense 11 – Smart tech for deep sleep ResMed Buy Now Undo Bombay Sport Exchange Episode 1: Interview with Sanjog Gupta, CEO (Sports) at JioStar "The National Sports Development Code of India, 2011 established good governance practices for sports bodies, essential for healthy development of sports in the country," stated the objectives of the new bill. Here's a look at the timeline of how the code turned into a bill with significant changes. The Journey In 2011, the Ministry prepared Draft National Sports Development Bill and placed it before Cabinet for approval. However, it was met with vehement opposition due to strict capping of age and tenure for administrators. In July 2013, the Ministry prepared a revised Draft National Sports Development Bill and placed it in public domain to invite suggestions and comments. However, this Bill was not pursued and a year later, the Delhi High Court upheld the Sports Code 2011. In 2015, a Working Group was constituted for re-drafting of National Sports Development Code, 2011. But the inclusion of Indian Olympic Association top brass in this group was challenged in the Delhi High Court as a case of conflict of interest. In 2017, a Committee was constituted under then sports secretary Injeti Srinivas, to prepare the '(Draft) National Code for Good Governance in Sports, 2017'. Olympic gold medal-winning shooter Abhinav Bindra, and other sports greats like Anju Bobby George, and Prakash Padukone, along with then then IOA head Narinder Batra were among the members in the committee. The Draft Sports Code was also challenged in the Delhi High Court, which ordered that committee's report be submitted to it in a sealed cover. In 2019, the Ministry constituted an Expert Committee under Justice (Retd.) Mukundakam Sharma to review the Draft Sports Code 2017 and "suggest measures for making it acceptable to all the stakeholders". That same year, the Delhi High Court stayed the constitution of this committee, an order that is in effect till date. In October 2024, the Draft National Sports Governance Bill was released to the public for comments and suggestions. There were extensive consultation sessions held with the IOA, the National Sports Federations, athletes, coaches, legal experts and even private bodies that are involved in athlete management. The bill was also shared with the International Olympic Committe and International Federations including World Athletics, FIFA, and the International Hockey Federation (FIH) among others. The ministry received "over 700 responses" as part of the feedback from various stakeholders, including general public before it finally made its way to the Parliament. Poll Do you believe the National Sports Governance Bill will improve accountability in Indian sports administration? Yes, definitely No, not really The differences with Sports Code Age Cap: While the Sports Code capped the age of administrators at 70, the new bill allows an office-bearer to complete his/her tenure if they were less than 70 at the time of filing nominations. A further relaxation of another five years has been made for contesting elections if the international statutes and byelaws allow for it in the concerned sports body. Tenure: The Sports Code allowed three terms with a cooling off period after two terms for the President and two terms for Treasurer and Secretary. The new sports bill 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. "This has been done to ensure continuity and also to keep competent people within the system," a sports ministry source said. Executive Committee: The sports code had no provision for mandatory women's representation in the committee whose strength was capped at 15. The new bill mandates that at least four members of the EC must be women along with two sportspersons of outstanding merit. Regulatory Body: The sports code had no provisions for a regulatory body to oversee NSFs, leaving the power to recognise or derecognise in the hands of the sports ministry. But the sports governance bill outlines the creation of a National Sports Board which will fulfill this role. The National Sports Tribunal, which will adjudicate sporting disputes, the National Sports Election Panel to oversee polls in NSFs and the Ethics Commission were not a part of the Sports Code. All these bodies will have a significant role to play once the bill becomes an act. PTI For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Time of India
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
National Sports Bill: How it's different from National Sports Code
Live Events The Journey The differences with Sports Code: (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel With the introduction of the National Sports Governance Bill in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, India has taken a big step towards joining powers like the USA, UK, China, and Japan which have laws in place for streamlined administrative bill, once it becomes an act, will complete a journey that started back in 2011 when the then Sports Minister Ajay Maken began his push for a legislation to set some benchmarks for the sports mostly long-serving administrators were and still are often accused of indulging in power struggles, infighting, financial misappropriation and showing a distinct lack of intent to overcome any of these with the new bill, accountability will be in place through a National Sports Board , a National Sports Tribunal and the National Sports Election of this took shape over months of dialogue that current Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya undertook with stakeholders, soon after taking charge last the bill was finalised, Mandaviya gave due credit to Maken, his political opponent from the Congress party, for "doing good work in shaping the National Sports Code , 2011" which was in operation till now."The National Sports Development Code of India, 2011 established good governance practices for sports bodies, essential for healthy development of sports in the country," stated the objectives of the new a look at the timeline of how the code turned into a bill with significant changes.*In 2011, the Ministry prepared Draft National Sports Development Bill and placed it before Cabinet for approval. However, it was met with vehement opposition due to strict capping of age and tenure for administrators.*In July 2013, the Ministry prepared a revised Draft National Sports Development Bill and placed it in public domain to invite suggestions and comments. However, this Bill was not pursued and a year later, the Delhi High Court upheld the Sports Code 2011.*In 2015, a Working Group was constituted for re-drafting of National Sports Development Code, 2011. But the inclusion of Indian Olympic Association top brass in this group was challenged in the Delhi High Court as a case of conflict of interest.*In 2017, a Committee was constituted under then sports secretary Injeti Srinivas, to prepare the '(Draft) National Code for Good Governance in Sports , 2017'. Olympic gold medal-winning shooter Abhinav Bindra, and other sports greats like Anju Bobby George, and Prakash Padukone, along with then then IOA head Narinder Batra were among the members in the Draft Sports Code was also challenged in the Delhi High Court, which ordered that committee's report be submitted to it in a sealed cover.*In 2019, the Ministry constituted an Expert Committee under Justice (Retd.) Mukundakam Sharma to review the Draft Sports Code 2017 and "suggest measures for making it acceptable to all the stakeholders".That same year, the Delhi High Court stayed the constitution of this committee, an order that is in effect till date.*In October 2024, the Draft National Sports Governance Bill was released to the public for comments and suggestions. There were extensive consultation sessions held with the IOA, the National Sports Federations, athletes, coaches, legal experts and even private bodies that are involved in athlete management. The bill was also shared with the International Olympic Committe and International Federations including World Athletics, FIFA, and the International Hockey Federation (FIH) among ministry received "over 700 responses" as part of the feedback from various stakeholders, including general public before it finally made its way to the Parliament.*Age Cap: While the Sports Code capped the age of administrators at 70, the new bill allows an office-bearer to complete his/her tenure if they were less than 70 at the time of filing nominations. A further relaxation of another five years has been made for contesting elections if the international statutes and byelaws allow for it in the concerned sports body.*Tenure: The Sports Code allowed three terms with a cooling off period after two terms for the President and two terms for Treasurer and Secretary. The new sports bill 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."This has been done to ensure continuity and also to keep competent people within the system," a sports ministry source said.*Executive Committee: The sports code had no provision for mandatory women's representation in the committee whose strength was capped at 15. The new bill mandates that at least four members of the EC must be women along with two sportspersons of outstanding merit.*Regulatory Body: The sports code had no provisions for a regulatory body to oversee NSFs, leaving the power to recognise or derecognise in the hands of the sports ministry. But the sports governance bill outlines the creation of a National Sports Board which will fulfill this role.*The National Sports Tribunal, which will adjudicate sporting disputes, the National Sports Election Panel to oversee polls in NSFs and the Ethics Commission were not a part of the Sports Code. All these bodies will have a significant role to play once the bill becomes an act.
News18
23-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
National Sports Bill: How its different from National Sports Code
Last Updated: New Delhi, Jul 23 (PTI) With the introduction of the National Sports Governance Bill in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, India has taken a big step towards joining powers like the USA, UK, China, and Japan which have laws in place for streamlined administrative set-ups. The bill, once it becomes an act, will complete a journey that started back in 2011 when the then Sports Minister Ajay Maken began his push for a legislation to set some benchmarks for the sports administrators. The mostly long-serving administrators were and still are often accused of indulging in power struggles, infighting, financial misappropriation and showing a distinct lack of intent to overcome any of these issues. But with the new bill, accountability will be in place through a National Sports Board, a National Sports Tribunal and the National Sports Election Panel. All of this took shape over months of dialogue that current Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya undertook with stakeholders, soon after taking charge last year. Once the bill was finalised, Mandaviya gave due credit to Maken, his political opponent from the Congress party, for 'doing good work in shaping the National Sports Code, 2011" which was in operation till now. 'The National Sports Development Code of India, 2011 established good governance practices for sports bodies, essential for healthy development of sports in the country," stated the objectives of the new bill. Here's a look at the timeline of how the code turned into a bill with significant changes. The Journey: ========= *In 2011, the Ministry prepared Draft National Sports Development Bill and placed it before Cabinet for approval. However, it was met with vehement opposition due to strict capping of age and tenure for administrators. *In July 2013, the Ministry prepared a revised Draft National Sports Development Bill and placed it in public domain to invite suggestions and comments. However, this Bill was not pursued and a year later, the Delhi High Court upheld the Sports Code 2011. *In 2015, a Working Group was constituted for re-drafting of National Sports Development Code, 2011. But the inclusion of Indian Olympic Association top brass in this group was challenged in the Delhi High Court as a case of conflict of interest. *In 2017, a Committee was constituted under then sports secretary Injeti Srinivas, to prepare the '(Draft) National Code for Good Governance in Sports, 2017'. Olympic gold medal-winning shooter Abhinav Bindra, and other sports greats like Anju Bobby George, and Prakash Padukone, along with then then IOA head Narinder Batra were among the members in the committee. The Draft Sports Code was also challenged in the Delhi High Court, which ordered that committee's report be submitted to it in a sealed cover. *In 2019, the Ministry constituted an Expert Committee under Justice (Retd.) Mukundakam Sharma to review the Draft Sports Code 2017 and 'suggest measures for making it acceptable to all the stakeholders". That same year, the Delhi High Court stayed the constitution of this committee, an order that is in effect till date. *In October 2024, the Draft National Sports Governance Bill was released to the public for comments and suggestions. There were extensive consultation sessions held with the IOA, the National Sports Federations, athletes, coaches, legal experts and even private bodies that are involved in athlete management. The bill was also shared with the International Olympic Committe and International Federations including World Athletics, FIFA, and the International Hockey Federation (FIH) among others. The ministry received 'over 700 responses" as part of the feedback from various stakeholders, including general public before it finally made its way to the Parliament. The differences with Sports Code: ===================== *Age Cap: While the Sports Code capped the age of administrators at 70, the new bill allows an office-bearer to complete his/her tenure if they were less than 70 at the time of filing nominations. A further relaxation of another five years has been made for contesting elections if the international statutes and byelaws allow for it in the concerned sports body. *Tenure: The Sports Code allowed three terms with a cooling off period after two terms for the President and two terms for Treasurer and Secretary. The new sports bill 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. 'This has been done to ensure continuity and also to keep competent people within the system," a sports ministry source said. *Executive Committee: The sports code had no provision for mandatory women's representation in the committee whose strength was capped at 15. The new bill mandates that at least four members of the EC must be women along with two sportspersons of outstanding merit. top videos View all *Regulatory Body: The sports code had no provisions for a regulatory body to oversee NSFs, leaving the power to recognise or derecognise in the hands of the sports ministry. But the sports governance bill outlines the creation of a National Sports Board which will fulfill this role. *The National Sports Tribunal, which will adjudicate sporting disputes, the National Sports Election Panel to oversee polls in NSFs and the Ethics Commission were not a part of the Sports Code. All these bodies will have a significant role to play once the bill becomes an act. PTI PM PM KHS KHS (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: July 23, 2025, 17:00 IST News agency-feeds National Sports Bill: How its different from National Sports Code Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
