The National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, and the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025, got Parliamentary approval on Tuesday as the Rajya Sabha cleared them amidst empty opposition benches. The Bills were passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
While the National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, seeks to provide for recognition of national sports bodies and regulate their functioning, the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025, seeks to amend the National Anti-Doping Act, 2022.
With both houses approving the bills, they only await the President’s assent, a mere formality to be enacted into a law.
The National Sports Governance Bill provides for the establishment of the National Olympic Committee, National Paralympic Committee, and National and Regional Sports Federations for each designated sport. The national bodies will have affiliation with respective international bodies. The bill provides that every national sports body will have a general body, consisting of an equal number of representatives from each affiliate member and certain ex officio members. It will have an executive committee consisting of up to 15 members, with at least two outstanding sportspersons and four women.
The Bill empowers the central government to establish a National Sports Board, which will grant recognition to the national sports bodies and register their affiliate units. The Bill also provides for constituting a National Sports Tribunal to adjudicate sports-related disputes.
The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025, seeks to amend the National Anti-Doping Act, 2022. Doping is the consumption of certain prohibited substances by athletes to enhance performance. The Act gives effect to the UNESCO Convention against doping in sports. It prohibits doping in sports and provides a framework for testing, enforcement, and adjudication of violations. It establishes the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) to implement anti-doping rules. It also establishes the National Board for Anti-Doping in Sports to oversee the activities of NADA and advise the central government on anti-doping regulations.
The Bill empowers the National Board for Anti-Doping in Sports to obtain any information from the Disciplinary Panel and the Appeal Panel regarding their operations. The Bill specifies a list of conduct or circumstances as anti-doping rule violations.
Replying to a one-sided brief discussion only from the NDA benches, Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that these bills will bring the biggest reforms in the sports sector since Independence. He said the legislation will fulfill the dream of taking the country from the ground to glory in the sports sector.
Mandaviya termed these bills robust, saying that it has been brought after the elaborate consultations with the stakeholders. He said these bills are the result of the initiatives taken by the government for creating a robust sports infrastructure in the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.