New year, new rules: National Sports Governance Act to partially come into effect from January 1

New Delhi: The landmark National Sports Governance Act will partially come into effect from January 1, the Sports Ministry announced on Wednesday, paving the way for the institution of an all-powerful National Sports Board (NSB) and a Tribunal to handle sporting disputes.

The Act was notified in the Official Gazette on August 18.

"...the Central Government has appointed 1st January, 2026 as the date on which 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," stated a press release from the Sports Ministry.

The provisions being brought into effect relate to the establishment and governance framework of National Sports Bodies, including the National Olympic Committee, National Paralympic Committee, National Sports Federations (NSFs) and Regional Sports Federations.

After elections under the provisions of the Act, all these bodies will be required to have Executive Committees of no more than 15 members with at least two Sportspersons of Merit in them.

The constitution of the National Sports Board (NSB) and the National Sports Tribunal (NST) will also get underway with the partial implementation.

The NSB will feature 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." The appointments will be done on the basis of the recommendations of a search-cum-selection committee.

"The phased commencement of the Act is aimed at ensuring a smooth transition to the statutory sports governance framework," the ministry said.

The ministry has already allowed NSFs, which have elections due in the next few months, to postpone the process till December for the full-scale implementation of the Act.

"With effect from 1st January, 2026, the institutional mechanisms envisaged under the notified provisions of the Act shall become operational," it stated.

The NSB, which is proposed to be a three-member body, will have the power to not just grant affiliation to the National Sports Federations (NSFs) but also monitor their financial operations and penalise them for any wrongdoing once the Act becomes fully operational.

It would be mandatory for the NSFs to take NSB affiliation to be eligible for government funding. The age cap for all members of the NSB has been fixed at 65 and all members will be eligible for re-appointment for one more term subject to the age limit.

The members of the Nation Sports Tribunal will hold office for four years with an age cap of 67 years as per the rules of implementation that the ministry posted for public feedback in October.