BCCI to come under National Sports Governance Bill 2025: Sources

New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will come under the National Sports Governance Bill 2025, set to be tabled in the ongoing monsoon session of the Parliament, ministry sources told IANS on Tuesday.

This will be mandatory for all the federations, including the BCCI to come under NSP, sports ministry sources confirmed. The BCCI was the only prominent sports body which did not come under government regulations.

It also brings into question whether BCCI President Roger Binny will continue at the helm, as BCCI constitution allows office bearers to continue till the age of 70 – the 1983-WC winner turned 70 on July 19 – but with the the Annual General Meeting scheduled to take place in September, it is still to be seen whether he will remain at the top post or will senior vice-president Rajeev Shukla take over.

The bill, which has been in process since October 2024, aims to provide for the development and promotion of sports, welfare measures for sportspersons, ethical practices in sports, and matters connected with or incidental to, through good governance practices.

It will also be responsible for establishing institutional capacity and prudential standards for the governance of sports federations that are based on basic universal principles of good governance, ethics and fair play of the Olympic and sports movement, the Olympic Charter, the Paralympic Charter, international best practices and established legal standards.

The bill also proposes to establish measures for the resolution of sports grievances and sports disputes in a unified, equitable and effective manner.

The Bill also aims to solve 10 problems through the NSP:

Opaque Governance in National Sports Federations (NSFs): Introduces transparency and accountability in decision-making processes.

Lack of Athlete Representation in Governance: Mandates athlete inclusion through Athlete Committees and representation of Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM).

Frequent Litigation Over NSF Elections: Establishes clear electoral guidelines and dispute resolution mechanisms to minimize court cases.

Unfair or Non-transparent Athlete Selection: Standardizes selection criteria and mandates publication of trials and results to ensure merit-based selection.

Harassment and Unsafe Sporting Environments: Mandates Safe Sport mechanisms, POSH compliance, and independent committees for complaints.

Lack of Grievance Redressal Channels: Sets up dedicated, time-bound grievance redressal systems for athletes, coaches, and stakeholders.

Long Legal Delays Damaging Athletes’ Careers: Introduces fast-track arbitration or tribunal systems to resolve disputes quickly.

Age Manipulation and Doping: Enforces strict verification, biometric systems, and anti-doping compliance as legal obligations.

Conflict of Interest Among Officials: Introduces clear definitions and enforcement of conflict of interest rules.

No Uniform Code for NSFs and IOA: Brings all sports bodies under a unified code of governance and eligibility criteria.

IANS