Question 1

The 2011 Sports Code was a law passed by Parliament that failed to work.

Accepted Answer

The 2011 Code was merely a set of executive guidelines (administrative orders) issued by the Ministry, which lacked statutory backing.

Question 2

The new law makes sports federations government entities.

Accepted Answer

Federations remain autonomous societies/NGOs affiliated with international bodies; the law only regulates their governance in exchange for state recognition and funding.

Question 3

Consider the following statements regarding the National Sports Governance Bill, 2025:
1. It replaces the statutory National Sports Development Act of 2011.
2. It mandates the inclusion of at least two 'Sportspersons of Merit' in the Executive Committees of National Sports Federations.
3. It transfers all pending sports disputes involving National Sports Bodies from civil courts to the newly established National Sports Tribunal.
How many of the statements given above are correct?

Accepted Answer

(b) Only two — Statement 1 is incorrect because the 2011 framework was a non-statutory executive Code, not a statutory Act. Statement 2 is correct; the Bill mandates athlete representation by including at least two Sportspersons of Merit. Statement 3 is correct; the National Sports Tribunal takes exclusive jurisdiction over these disputes, transferring pending cases from High Courts and civil courts.

Question 4

Match the institutions proposed under the National Sports Governance Bill, 2025 (List I) with their primary functions (List II).
List I:
A. National Sports Board (NSB)
B. Ad-hoc Normalisation Committee
C. National Sports Election Panel
D. National Sports Tribunal (NST)

List II:
1. Assumes temporary administration if a federation's recognition is suspended.
2. Specialized appellate body replacing civil courts for sports disputes.
3. Apex authority responsible for granting recognition to sports federations.
4. Independent roster of officers ensuring fair internal voting.

Accepted Answer

(a) A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2 — The National Sports Board (NSB) is the apex regulatory body that grants recognition (A-3). Ad-hoc Normalisation Committees are formed to temporarily administer suspended bodies (B-1). The National Sports Election Panel oversees voting (C-4). The National Sports Tribunal adjudicates disputes (D-2).

Question 5

Assertion (A): The National Sports Governance Bill, 2025 mandates that all recognized National Sports Federations be covered under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.
Reason (R): National Sports Federations are classified as wholly state-owned statutory bodies under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

Accepted Answer

(c) Assertion (A) is correct but Reason (R) is incorrect. — Assertion (A) is correct; the Bill explicitly brings federations under the RTI Act to ensure transparency. Reason (R) is incorrect because National Sports Federations are not state-owned statutory bodies; they are independent, autonomous societies. They fall under RTI because they receive substantial government funding and perform public functions, not because of state ownership.

National Sports Governance Bill, 2025 Introduced

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