Shamik Chakrabarty
The National Sports Governance Bill is set to be introduced in Parliament on Wednesday, and the BCCI will come under it, RevSportz has learnt. It will mean that the cricket board will be recognised as a National Sports Federation (NSF), making certain recommendations of the Lodha Committee redundant.
For example, the current BCCI constitution, drafted on the basis of the Lodha Committee recommendations, makes Roger Binny ineligible as president. The former India all-rounder turned 70 on July 19, the cut-off age for an office bearer. But if the BCCI comes under the National Sports Bill, Binny can continue for at least another three more years.
The BCCI doesn’t receive government funding, but the sports ministry is said to be very clear that every sports organisation will have to follow the law of the land. The BCCI came under the ambit of the RTI Act in 2020. With the Indian cricket team set to participate at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, coming under the National Sports Bill is believed to be a logical step.
With India aiming to host the 2036 Olympics, the proposed Bill wants to make sports governance in the country athlete-centric. All sports bodies, including the Indian Olympic Association and the National Paralympic Committee, will be required to establish athletes’ committees, ensuring that sportspersons are at the centre of policy-making. The Bill also proposes the formation of a National Sports Tribunal to address protracted legal disputes.
The cabinet had previously returned the National Sports Bill a couple of times, while the Parliament turned its back on it once. But this time, it is expected to see the light of day.
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