Rajeev Shukla, vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), stated that they would first review the National Sports Governance Bill, which is scheduled to be presented in Parliament on Wednesday, before sharing his views on it.
Sources from the Sports Ministry revealed on Tuesday that the proposed National Sports Governance Bill 2025, expected to be tabled during the monsoon session of Parliament, aims to include the BCCI under its jurisdiction. Although the BCCI does not rely on government funding, its inclusion in the bill was anticipated, especially in light of the Indian cricket team’s planned participation in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Shukla refrained from making any comments prior to the bill’s introduction, telling ANI, “We will have to study the bill after it’s introduced. Only then can I express my views on it."
The BCCI is registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975 and oversees all aspects of cricket in India, both domestically and internationally. Currently, the BCCI does not fall under the 45 recognised National Sports Federations. Should the Indian cricket board come under the bill’s scope, it might also be subject to the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Officials stated that the National Sports Governance Bill aims to address issues such as frequent litigation over NSF elections and athlete selections, the lack of a dedicated dispute resolution forum, insufficient athlete representation in federations, gender imbalance in sports leadership, and the absence of a standard electoral process across federations. Additionally, the bill seeks to address financial opacity and poor governance in NSFs, as well as the lack of internal grievance redressal systems.
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The bill is designed to establish a legal framework for the transparent and fair operation of sports bodies, making athlete representation mandatory in decision-making processes. It seeks to ensure quick dispute resolution through the Sports Tribunal and fair and transparent elections via the election panel. Officials mentioned that the government’s role will be that of a facilitator, not a controller.
(With inputs from ANI)
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