On July 1, 2025, at the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne, Switzerland, Indian officials received a strong warning. The IOC raised serious concerns over how sports are run in India, pointing to problems like corruption, mismanagement, poor Olympic performance, and rising doping cases.

In response, the Indian government introduced the ‘National Sports Governance Bill, 2025’, a landmark move aimed at cleaning up the country’s sports system and aligning it with international standards.

The new law proposes setting up three powerful bodies:

  • National Sports Board (NSB)

  • National Sports Election Panel (NSEP)

  • National Sports Tribunal (NST)

Each will play a unique role in making sure Indian sports are run fairly, transparently, and with the best interests of athletes in mind.

The NSB will be India’s top body for sports planning and development. It will be made up of athletes, legal experts, civil society members, and administrators. Its job includes:

  • Making national sports policies

  • Distributing funds fairly

  • Supporting athletes’ mental and physical health

  • Fighting doping and age fraud

The Board also plans to use technology and stricter checks to make sure athletes’ ages are verified and doping cases go down.

Many of India’s sports bodies have been criticised for shady elections, lifetime posts, and nepotism. The new National Sports Election Panel (NSEP) will ensure fair and timely elections in all national sports federations.

The panel will work independently to supervise elections, free from outside pressure or internal politics. If it works well, this could bring trust back to how these organisations are run.

To deal with legal disputes in sports, like unfair selection, doping bans, or contract issues, the government will set up a National Sports Tribunal (NST).

This special court will help athletes and sports professionals get quick, fair decisions without dragging cases through normal civil courts. Only the Supreme Court can hear appeals from the NST unless international rules say otherwise.

The bill takes lessons from the Olympic and Paralympic charters, which promote honesty, fairness, and respect in sports. To push this forward in India, the bill makes it necessary for sports bodies to follow:

  • Transparent governance

  • No conflict of interest

  • Regular audits and public reports

This is meant to ensure that sports bodies serve the nation, not individuals with personal agendas.

While the bill respects that sports organisations should be independent, it also makes it clear they must be accountable. The National Sports Board will not control these organisations but will help them function ethically and responsibly.

Tackling India’s doping and age fraud problems

India has one of the highest numbers of doping violations in the world. It also faces serious issues with athletes lying about their age, especially in junior-level sports.

To deal with this, the bill proposes special teams under the NSB to:

  • Use biometrics and medical tools to verify age

  • Build a national athlete database

  • Work closely with NADA and WADA on better drug testing and awareness

India’s athletes have long suffered due to poor management and corruption in sports bodies. This bill gives them a legal system that supports fairness, fast justice, and professional management. It also recognises that sports are about national pride and youth empowerment, and must be treated with care.

If applied properly, the National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, could be a turning point. With its three key pillars, the NSB, NSEP, and NST, India could finally build a cleaner, more transparent sports system.

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