NSG Act: Ministry relaxes election deadline for NSFs to allow time for 'foundational' changes

New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI) Gearing up for full-scale implementation of the National Sports Governance (NSG) Act in January, the Sports Ministry on Monday decided that national federations, which are due to hold elections in the coming months, will be allowed to defer them till December 2026 to implement the "foundational" changes required by the new law.

Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, in an interview to PTI after the passing of the Act in August, had stated that it will be implemented in January, a position he reiterated in an interaction last week. The draft rules for the Act's implementation are in the final stages of being locked after legal consultation.

The most awaited NSF election next year is the one due in the embattled All India Football Federation (AIFF), currently headed by Kalyan Chaubey. The PT Usha-led Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is also due to go to polls towards the end of next year.

"Compliance requirements under NSG Act, 2025 necessitate adequate preparation time for NSFs to establish robust electoral structure and procedures, and alignment of the Constitution/Bye-laws of NSFs with the NSG Act," stated a letter from the ministry to all the NSFs and the IOA.

The ministry said that the NSFs will be required to undertake "appropriate measures" to restructure their General Body and ensure that all their voting members and affiliate units are aligned with the provisions of the NSG Act.

The Ministry said having reviewed the election schedules of NSFs, it felt that the implementation of changes is "foundational in nature".

"...and it may be difficult to complete these changed effectively within the limited time-frame available to NSFs whose elections are due in coming months," it stated.

"In order to facilitate the smooth transition under the new governance framework as also to allow adequate time for implementation of the statutory requirements under the NSG Act by the NSFs, it has been decided that those NSFs whose elections are scheduled to be held in the coming months...are allowed to defer the elections upto December 31, as a transitional measure," it added.

The only exception being the cases where there are specific directions by Courts of Law.

"During this extended period, the existing Executive Committee of the concerned NSF shall continue by extending the tenure of the current office-bearers of the respective NSFs for the duration of the deferment period, subject to approval of its General Body." "This one-time extension is solely for the purpose of transitioning to the new electoral framework established under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025," it stated.

What the Act states? ============= As per the Act, the strength of all the NSF Executive Committees will be fixed at 15 members and at least four Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) would be mandatory members. The term of an EC has been capped at four years.

The Act calls for the institution of a National Sports Board (NSB), a National Sports Tribunal (NST) and the National Sports Election Panel (NSEP).

The NSB, which is the most significant aspect of the Act, will have the power to not just grant affiliation to the NSFs but also monitor their financial operations and penalise them for any wrongdoing.

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.

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 NSEP will take over the responsibility of facilitating elections in national sports bodies and will be required to have at least 20 members on its roster at all times.

The National Sports Tribunal will hold office for four years with an age cap of 67 years as per the ministry draft. 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. PTI PM PM PDS PDS