National Sports Board to be formed by December, key step in sports governance overhaul

All national sports federations will soon need NSB affiliation to access central funding, while the board will also have power to suspend federations over financial or election irregularities, sources say.

New Delhi: The eagerly-anticipated National Sports Board, which will have paramount authority to grant or suspend affiliation to federations and monitor their financial conduct as part of the National Sports Governance Act, will be constituted by December end.

Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has promised full implementation of the Act by end of January next year and the constitution of the NSB would be the most significant milestone of that process.

"The National Sports Board will be constituted in the next three months and the process has already been set in motion for this. Also in the works is the framing of regulations for the implementation of the act," a sports ministry source told PTI on Saturday when asked about the timeline of the entire procedure but did not reveal the specifics.

The regulations of the act imply the set of criteria and principles that would be laid down for its execution. This would include the criteria for grant of affiliation to National Sports Federations among other aspects.

The NSB will comprise a chairperson, and its members (number yet to be decided) and will be appointed by the central government from "amongst 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."

The appointments will be done on the recommendation of a search-cum-selection committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary. The details of other members of this panel are not yet known but the Act states that they would be required to have wide experience in public administration, sports administration and also be recipients of national sports awards.

Once constituted, it would be mandatory for all NationalSports Federations to seek affiliation from the Boardtobe eligible for central government funding.

The Board has been empowered to de-recognise a national federation that fails to hold elections for its Executive Committee or has committed "gross irregularities in the election procedures."

In addition, failure to publish annual audited accounts or "misused, misapplied or misappropriated public funds" would also invite suspension from the NSB but it would be required to consult the concerned global body before proceeding.

Along with the NSB, the National Sports Tribunal and the National Sports Eelection Panel are also in the preliminary stage of being constituted.

The tribunal would have "all the powers of a civil court" and seeks to end the trend of sporting matters landing up in courts for lengthy durations.

It will comprise a chairperson and two other members. The head of the Tribunal would be a sitting or retired judge of the Supreme Court or the Chief Justice of a High Court.

The appointments to the Tribunal would also be in the hands of the central government based on recommendations of a committee that will be headed by Chief Justice of India or a Supreme Court judge recommended by the CJI and will comprise the Sports Secretary and Secretary in the Ministry of Law and Justice.

The orders of this Tribunal would only be challengeable in the Supreme Court.

This election panel will be made up of retired members of the Election Commission of India or the State Election Commission or retired Chief Electoral Officers of the States or Deputy Election Commissioners, with "adequate experience".

The panel will oversee the conduct of free and fair elections to the Executive Committees and the Athletes Committee of the sports bodies.