Sports Governance & Policy is a concept and a framework of rules governing sports administration in India, aiming for transparency and accountability in bodies like the National Sports Federations (NSFs). The initial formal structure was the National Sports Development Code of India, enacted in 2011 by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) to address fragmented administration and a lack of transparency in sports bodies. The Code, though non-statutory, mandated good governance practices, including a maximum age limit of 70 years for office bearers and a tenure limit of twelve years for the President. It also required NSFs receiving ₹10 lakhs or more in government funding to comply with the Right to Information Act, 2005.
The framework connects to the Constitution of India, where sports is a State subject under the Seventh Schedule, but the Centre supplements efforts through policy. Judicial intervention, such as the ruling in Zee Telefilms Ltd. v. Union of India (2005), established that sports bodies performing public functions are subject to judicial review under Article 226, even if they are not "State" under Article 12.
Recently, the non-binding 2011 Code was replaced by the statutory National Sports Governance Act, 2025, which received Presidential assent on August 18, 2025. The 2025 Act establishes a National Sports Tribunal for dispute resolution and mandates that the Executive Committee of national bodies must include at least two outstanding sportspersons and four women. This Act codifies judicial principles and brings most sports bodies, including the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), under a public accountability framework.