The National Sports Governance Bill was tabled by the honourable Sports Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, in Parliament, on Wednesday. The resultant outcome is that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will now come under its jurisdiction. The BCCI will also come under the ambit of Right to Information Act, with it being acknowledged as a National Sports Federation.
In the context of BCCI’s operations, the main point to consider is about the upper-age limit of the administrators. And that brings into question Roger Binny’s position. The incumbent BCCI president turned 70 on July 19 this year. According to the Supreme Court-approved BCCI constitution, the upper-age limit for any administrator of the board is 70 years.
However, with the new Bill set to override the constitutions of national sports federations, and extending the limit to 75 years – at the time of the office-bearer’s nomination – Binny can continue. In a hypothetical sense, too, Binny can continue as the president until the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in September.
Also, for a person to be elected president, general-secretary or treasurer, he or she should have been a part of the executive committee for at least two tenures. The exception to the rule will be “sportsperson of outstanding merit”.
One of the reasons for the BCCI coming under the ambit of the Bill is the Olympics, with cricket being included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Incidentally, ICC is now a recognised federation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Age and term limits:
Administrators, including the President, Secretary General and Treasurer, can hold positions for a maximum of 3 successive tenures, or 12 years.
The age limit is set at 70 years, but it can be expanded to 75 years if permitted by the international charter of that particular sport. On a side note, the ICC, the governing body of cricket, doesn’t mention an upper-age limit for its administrators.
The BCCI will also be registered under the National Sports Board. And that would also result in the board being a part of the RTI Act, 2005. Meanwhile, NSB will have the following authority: It can permit or revoke recognition of any National Sports Federation. It also has the powers to investigate proceedings in relation to misuse of public funds.
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