Selvi PalaniTamil Nadu athletes have brought cheer to the nation with their stellar performance in the recently concluded Asian Games in Japan. The TVK govt appears eager to make the state outstanding in sports and believes it is the perfect antidote to the increasing drug culture that is ruining the youth. Chief minister C Joseph Vijay recently announced that Chennai would be home to an Olympic city and the state would soon have a motor sports city with world-class infrastructure that would promote sports tourism and advance the state into an international hub for sports. This was preceded by a significant increase in the allotment for youth welfare and sports development in the state budget (`572cr in 2025-2026 to `1,051cr in 2026-2027). But, experience has shown that such announcements and budgetary allocations may not fructify unless the ecosystem around sports sees marked changes.The first-ever law in the country on sports is the National Sports Governance Act (NSGA), 2025 and the National Sports Governance (National Sports Board) Rules, 2026 that provide the framework for sports governance. A hurriedly passed legislation in mid-Aug 2025 amidst protests in Parliament was only to conform to global standards for India’s bid to the 2036 Olympics. NSGA is fraught with setbacks as it fails to uphold its objectives of athletes’ welfare, transparency and accountability, and an effective dispute resolution mechanism. It rests on three pivotal bodies: National Sports Board (NSB), National Sports Tribunal (NST), and National Sports Election Panel (NSEP).NSB, created under NSGA, is tasked with recognition and de-recognition of federations, monitoring of ethical codes, and inquiries into fund misappropriation. However, instead of addressing mismanagement of federations, NSB has broad powers to suspend or dissolve associations without procedural safeguards and is criticized as being govt-administered and susceptible to political interference.NST bars civil court jurisdiction, but does not fast-track disputes, and its composition smacks of executive and judicial dominance, and leaves outside its purview doping disputes, which remain with the anti-doping discipline and appeal panels under the National Anti-Doping Act, 2022.NSEP, comprising retired election commissioners created to oversee elections, is not envisaged to function as an independent body, but rather as an administrative extension of the govt. The executive influence would lead to disputes instead of depoliticizing elections. The law does not promise reform, but control over sports administration, and as sports activist lawyer Rahul Mehra rightly said, “is a deliberate attempt to dismantle reforms achieved through years of litigation”.It is known that NSGA was meant to offset gains made with the 2022 Delhi high court judgment in the case of Rahul Mehra Vs Union of India, that mandated compliance with the National Sports Development Code, 2011 in respect of tenure, voting rights and inclusion of athletes, and to ensure transparency, accountability and good governance across all national sports federations and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). The judgment restricted all office bearers to three four-year terms with a mandatory four-year cooling-off period after 12 years. NSGA has diluted the tenure gap with a maximum cap of 12 years, enabling sports administrators’ indefinite control. Another retrograde step is raising the age of key office bearers to 75 years (earlier capped at 70 years). It was also observed in the judgment that there would be a minimum of 25% members elected from players of outstanding merit with voting rights in the general body and executive committee of mational sports federations and IOA, but that does not find place in NSGA. The judgment that was lauded as pro-player reform has been overhauled by the law that is perceived as regressive.Sports experts and enthusiasts in Tamil Nadu have repeatedly raised concerns about sports associations embroiled in litigation, impacting sports at all levels, along with inadequate infrastructure and the poor nutritional supply to sportspersons. The state has talent amongst its youth and needs to build beginner and intermediate levelers into elite athletes by ensuring all govt schools have playgrounds and dedicated physical education teachers. It has been reported that there are no PE teachers at the primary school level and unfulfilled vacancies remain for higher classes. Some schools convert the PE class as a study class and deprive the students of sports.The TVK govt has to navigate the centralization of power, executive interference, and the skewed dispute resolution mechanism built into the NSGA to turn the state into a world-class sporting arena and stimulate athletic engagement.It also has to strengthen sports at the grassroots level if it wishes to wean the youth away from drugs, or else the chief minister’s slogan “sports ah edu, drugs ah vidu (start sports, stop drugs) would be meaningless rhetoric.Incentivising sportspersons will help draw more young people to sports and, with state-of-the-art training centres, professional coaches and modern infrastructure, the state would be more likely to win at international events. The govt should increase the prevailing 3% sports quota reservation for govt jobs and public sector undertakings alongside admissions for higher education, including professional courses such as engineering, medicine and law. The special scholarship for elite sportspersons scheme has contributed to athletes’ success. Vithya Ramaraj, who won three medals at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, credits former sports minister Udayanidhi Stalin for improving the sports scene.To realise its proposal for an Olympic city and a motor sports city, the govt should consider an expert committee of sports professionals, international athletes, lawyers and policy strategists to draw up a comprehensive policy to strengthen sports federations, improve transparency in selection, an effective dispute resolution mechanism and a monitoring and compliance mechanism insulated from govt influence.As Nelson Mandela said, “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand.” So, let the change begin.(The writer is an advocate at Madras high court and a master athlete)
