The National Sports Governance Act entered partial implementation on Thursday, marking a significant shift in India’s sports administration with the initiation of processes to establish a National Sports Board (NSB) and a Sports Tribunal.
The Act, notified on August 18 last year and described as the country’s most consequential sporting reform by Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, has been brought into force selectively to ensure a phased transition to statutory governance.
According to a late-night Sports Ministry statement on Wednesday, specified sections of the Act relating to the governance framework of National Sports Bodies, including the National Olympic Committee, National Paralympic Committee, National Sports Federations (NSFs) and Regional Sports Federations, have now come into effect.
“…the provisions of sections 1 to 3, sub-sections (1), (2) and (4) of section 4, sub-sections (1) and (2) of section 5, sub-section (5) of section 8, sub-section (1) of section 11, sections 14 and 15, sub-sections (1) to (7) and (10) of section 17, sections 30 and 31, and sections 33 to 38 of the said Act shall come into force,” the ministry said.
Once elections are conducted under the new framework, all recognised sports bodies will be required to form Executive Committees comprising no more than 15 members, including at least two Sportspersons of Merit (SOMs).
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The partial rollout also initiates the process for constituting the National Sports Board and the National Sports Tribunal (NST). The NSB will consist of a chairperson and members appointed by the Central Government from among “persons of ability, integrity and standing who possesses special knowledge or practical experience in the field of public administration, sports governance, sports law and other related fields”. Appointments will be based on recommendations of a search-cum-selection committee, yet to be finalised.
“The phased commencement of the Act is aimed at ensuring a smooth transition to the statutory sports governance framework,” the ministry said.
NSFs with elections due in the coming months have been permitted to defer polls until December to allow full-scale implementation, delaying elections of bodies such as the All India Football Federation.
“With effect from 1st January, 2026, the institutional mechanisms envisaged under the notified provisions of the Act shall become operational,” the ministry stated.
Once fully functional, the three-member NSB will have the authority to grant affiliation, monitor finances and penalise NSFs for irregularities. NSB affiliation will be mandatory for government funding. Members will have a 65-year age cap, with eligibility for one reappointment.
The Act also mandates the creation of a National Sports Election Panel to oversee elections, while NST members will serve four-year terms with an age limit of 67.
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