New Sports Governance Rules Mandate Athlete Inclusion, Women's Quota

The rules provide the framework for the inclusion of sportspersons of outstanding merit, composition of the general body and executive committee, election procedures, and disqualification criteria for members of National Sports Bodies and Regional Sports Federations, as per an official release from the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

The rules also outline provisions for the National Sports Election Panel and further specify procedures for registration and periodic updating of affiliate units with the National Sports Board.

Among the salient provisions, these Rules provide for the inclusion of at least four sportspersons of outstanding merit (SOMs) in the General Bodies of National Sports Bodies. For ensuring representation of women SOMs in the General Body, the Rules specifically provide for fifty per cent of women SOMs in the General Body.

For ensuring the representation of at least four women in the Executive Committee of National Sports Bodies, as mandated in the National Sports Governance Act, 2025, the rules provide that every National Sports Body may reserve specific posts for women in the Executive Committee, through its bye-laws.

The rules also prescribe the General eligibility criteria and tiered criteria for representation of SOMs in the General Body and Executive Committee of National Sports Bodies.

The sportspersons applying to be designated as SOMs should not be less than twenty-five years of age and must have retired from active sports, and should have not participated in any competitive sport event which leads to selection to represent a district, state or India for at least one year prior to the date of application.

In the rules, a tiered criterion has also been prescribed, taking into consideration the nature of sports, and the level of sporting achievements attained by Indian sportspersons in different sports disciplines.

In the tiered criteria, 10 tiers have been prescribed, starting from sportspersons who have won a gold, silver or bronze medal in the Summer Olympic Games, Paralympic Games or Winter Olympic Games, to sportspersons who have won a gold, silver or bronze medal in the National Games or a National Championship.

The tiered criteria have been kept broad enough to meet the requirements of different sports disciplines.

These rules prescribe in detail the procedure for election to the Executive Committee, with timelines for each stage of election, starting from submission of the application to be a SOM, to call for elections, release of the final electoral roll and invitation for nominations.

The rules also provide the disqualifications for being a member of the General Body, or of any committee of a National Sports Body and declaring them ineligible for contesting for election to the Executive Committee or the Athletes Committee.

Among the disqualifications prescribed in the rules, persons convicted by a court of law for an offence, followed by a sentence of imprisonment, are debarred from contesting for elections to the Executive Committee or the Athletes Committee or being a member in the General Body or any committee of a National Sports Body.

The rules provide that the roster of the National Sports Election Panel shall at all times contain at least twenty members who satisfy the qualifications specified under the National Sports Governance Act 2025.

The Fee of the electoral officer, selected from the Election Panel, will be decided by the National Sports Body on the basis of mutual agreement with the Electoral Officer, subject to a maximum amount of Rs. 5 lakh, along with fees of a mutually agreed amount for an assistant to such officer, if any.

The Rules further provide that every National Sports Body shall amend its bye-laws in conformity with the provisions of the act, within a period of six months.

The Rules also authorise the Central Government, on receipt of the application from a National Sports Body, to relax the provisions of the Rules for a period of twelve months for reasons to be recorded in writing.

Notification of the National Sports Governance (National Sports Bodies) Rules marks a key milestone in the smooth transition to the statutory sports governance framework pursuant to the enactment of the National Sports Governance Act 2025.

- ANI