<p>New Delhi: The Sports Ministry on Wednesday unveiled its planned framework for the National Sports Governance Act, proposing a three-member National Sports Board (NSB) for granting affiliation to federations and a tiered eligibility criteria for Sportspersons of Merit (SOM) seeking inclusion in the administrative set-up.</p>.<p>The ministry has posted the draft rules for the NSB, the National Sports Tribunal (NST) and the National Sports Election Panel (NSEP) on its website and sought public feedback within the next 30 days.</p>.<p>"These Rules have been formulated to facilitate the implementation of the National Sports Governance Act, 2025," the ministry stated.</p>.<p>"The Act seeks to ensure ethical practices, fair play across all levels of sport, safeguard the interests of sportspersons as the primary stakeholders, and create a robust ecosystem for sports in the country," it added.</p>.<p>The NSB, which is the most significant aspect of the Act that was passed by the Parliament in August, 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.</p>.<p>It would be mandatory for NSFs to take NSB affiliation to be eligible for government funding.</p>.<p>"The Board shall consist of a Chairperson and two other members who shall be persons of ability, integrity and standing, who possess knowledge or practical experience in the field of public administration, sports governance, sports law and other related fields," the ministry has proposed.</p>.<p>The appointments will be done by a search-cum-selection committee chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, and comprising the Sports Secretary and "one person possessing experience in sports administration, and two persons who are recipients of national sports awards, to be nominated by the Central Government".</p>.<p>The age cap for all members of the NSB has been fixed at 65.</p>.<p>"The Chairperson and every other Member shall hold office as such for a term of three years from the date on which he enters upon his office or till he attains the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier," the ministry stated.</p>.<p>All members will be eligible for re-appointment for one more term subject to the age limit.</p>.<p>"The Chairperson or any Member shall not, during their term of office, hold any position in any International Sports Body, National Sports Body or their affiliate unit, or any National Sports Promotion Organisation," it added.</p>.<p>The members of the Nation Sports Tribunal will hold office for four years with an age cap of 67 years as per the ministry draft In addition, the tribunal's office-bearers will not be allowed to practice before it after retirement. They will also not be permitted to undertake any arbitration assignment while functioning in their respective capacities in the Tribunal.</p>.<p>Besides, for a period of two years from the date on which they cease to hold office, they will have to avoid "accepting any employment in, or connected with the management or administration of, any person who has been a party to a proceeding before the Tribunal".</p>.<p>The tribunal primarily aims to ensure that sporting matters do not end up in courts, where over 300 cases related to sports are currently pending.</p>.<p>Criteria for sportspersons </p><p>The rules lay down a tiered criteria for athletes, who are being encouraged to take up administration as per the provisions of the act. It is mandatory for every federation's general Body to have four or higher number of Sportspersons of Merit, elected or nominated.</p>.<p>The interested athletes should be retired from their sport at least one year before applying for the position in administration and only those who have won an Olympic medal or participated in at least one Olympics eligible for inclusion in National Olympic Committee.</p>.<p>The criteria has been relaxed for inclusion in the federations with a National Sports Award or medals in the World Championship of the concerned discipline being enough for entry.</p>.<p>The tier one athletes will be the ones who have won at least medal in the Olympics or Winter Olympic, while tier two would comprise applicants who have participated in two or more editions of the Olympic or Winter Olympic Games.</p>.<p>There are 10 tiers in descending order of achievements in different sporting events.</p>.<p>Financial accountability of NSB </p><p>The rules propose that the Board come out with a balance sheet annually which will be forwarded to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India or any other person appointed by him for audit within three months of the end of the financial year.</p>.<p>Election panel</p><p>The National Sports Election Panel, which will take over the responsibility of facilitating elections in national sports bodies, will be required to have at least 20 members on its roster at all times. </p>
<p>New Delhi: The Sports Ministry on Wednesday unveiled its planned framework for the National Sports Governance Act, proposing a three-member National Sports Board (NSB) for granting affiliation to federations and a tiered eligibility criteria for Sportspersons of Merit (SOM) seeking inclusion in the administrative set-up.</p>.<p>The ministry has posted the draft rules for the NSB, the National Sports Tribunal (NST) and the National Sports Election Panel (NSEP) on its website and sought public feedback within the next 30 days.</p>.<p>"These Rules have been formulated to facilitate the implementation of the National Sports Governance Act, 2025," the ministry stated.</p>.<p>"The Act seeks to ensure ethical practices, fair play across all levels of sport, safeguard the interests of sportspersons as the primary stakeholders, and create a robust ecosystem for sports in the country," it added.</p>.<p>The NSB, which is the most significant aspect of the Act that was passed by the Parliament in August, 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.</p>.<p>It would be mandatory for NSFs to take NSB affiliation to be eligible for government funding.</p>.<p>"The Board shall consist of a Chairperson and two other members who shall be persons of ability, integrity and standing, who possess knowledge or practical experience in the field of public administration, sports governance, sports law and other related fields," the ministry has proposed.</p>.<p>The appointments will be done by a search-cum-selection committee chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, and comprising the Sports Secretary and "one person possessing experience in sports administration, and two persons who are recipients of national sports awards, to be nominated by the Central Government".</p>.<p>The age cap for all members of the NSB has been fixed at 65.</p>.<p>"The Chairperson and every other Member shall hold office as such for a term of three years from the date on which he enters upon his office or till he attains the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier," the ministry stated.</p>.<p>All members will be eligible for re-appointment for one more term subject to the age limit.</p>.<p>"The Chairperson or any Member shall not, during their term of office, hold any position in any International Sports Body, National Sports Body or their affiliate unit, or any National Sports Promotion Organisation," it added.</p>.<p>The members of the Nation Sports Tribunal will hold office for four years with an age cap of 67 years as per the ministry draft In addition, the tribunal's office-bearers will not be allowed to practice before it after retirement. They will also not be permitted to undertake any arbitration assignment while functioning in their respective capacities in the Tribunal.</p>.<p>Besides, for a period of two years from the date on which they cease to hold office, they will have to avoid "accepting any employment in, or connected with the management or administration of, any person who has been a party to a proceeding before the Tribunal".</p>.<p>The tribunal primarily aims to ensure that sporting matters do not end up in courts, where over 300 cases related to sports are currently pending.</p>.<p>Criteria for sportspersons </p><p>The rules lay down a tiered criteria for athletes, who are being encouraged to take up administration as per the provisions of the act. It is mandatory for every federation's general Body to have four or higher number of Sportspersons of Merit, elected or nominated.</p>.<p>The interested athletes should be retired from their sport at least one year before applying for the position in administration and only those who have won an Olympic medal or participated in at least one Olympics eligible for inclusion in National Olympic Committee.</p>.<p>The criteria has been relaxed for inclusion in the federations with a National Sports Award or medals in the World Championship of the concerned discipline being enough for entry.</p>.<p>The tier one athletes will be the ones who have won at least medal in the Olympics or Winter Olympic, while tier two would comprise applicants who have participated in two or more editions of the Olympic or Winter Olympic Games.</p>.<p>There are 10 tiers in descending order of achievements in different sporting events.</p>.<p>Financial accountability of NSB </p><p>The rules propose that the Board come out with a balance sheet annually which will be forwarded to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India or any other person appointed by him for audit within three months of the end of the financial year.</p>.<p>Election panel</p><p>The National Sports Election Panel, which will take over the responsibility of facilitating elections in national sports bodies, will be required to have at least 20 members on its roster at all times. </p>