Key Terms & Concepts — UPSC Mains
National Sports Governance Act 2025
"India's first comprehensive sports governance law establishing a National Sports Board, mandating 50% women in SOMs, and creating a National Sports Tribunal"
The National Sports Governance Act (NSG Act) 2025 is India's first dedicated legislation for sports governance, replacing the fragmented regulatory framework that previously relied on executive orders, National Sports Development Code (2011), and court-directed reforms. The Act establishes three key institutional pillars: (1) a National Sports Board as the apex regulatory body for all recognised sports in India; (2) mandatory structural reforms in Sports Organisation Members (SOMs, i.e., National Sports Federations) including 50% women representation in governing bodies, age and tenure limits for office-bearers, and mandatory RTI applicability; and (3) a National Sports Tribunal as a specialised appellate body for disputes involving athlete selection, doping, match-fixing, and federation governance. The Act brings Indian sports administration under statutory oversight for the first time, replacing the informal and often litigated relationship between the government and autonomous sports federations.
Directly relevant for UPSC GS-2 (Polity and Governance — statutory bodies, governance reforms, women's representation). The Act addresses long-standing Supreme Court concerns (Lodha Committee reforms for cricket, 2016) about accountability in sports bodies. Questions may test the institutional architecture (National Sports Board vs National Sports Tribunal), the 50% women mandate, RTI applicability to federations, and comparisons with the Sports Code 2011.
- 1 First comprehensive sports governance legislation in India (2025)
- 2 Establishes National Sports Board as the apex regulatory authority
- 3 Mandates 50% women representation in Sports Organisation Members (SOMs)
- 4 All recognised National Sports Federations brought under RTI Act
- 5 Creates National Sports Tribunal for dispute resolution (selection, doping, match-fixing)
- 6 Imposes age limits and tenure caps on federation office-bearers
- 7 Builds on Supreme Court's Lodha Committee recommendations (2016) for sports governance reform