The Sports Ministry on Tuesday (May 26, 2026) officially notified the formation and composition of the National Sports Board (NSB) and the National Sports Tribunal (NST) under the National Sports Governance Act 2025.
While the NSB will oversee recognition and governance standards of national sports federations and their allied units, the NST will be an independent quasi-judicial body to ensure speedy and cost-effective resolution of disputes and minimise sports litigations.
The NSB will be a three-member panel, appointed from among those recommended by the government’s search-cum-selection committee for a term of three years, and will be the central authority for granting recognition to NSFs.
In addition, it will also maintain a register of the NSFs and their affiliate units, constitute ad-hoc administrative bodies if required, maintain a roster of the National Sports Election Panel, issue guidelines for the formulation of Code of Ethics and frame Safe Sports Policy.
The NST members, meanwhile, will have a fixed five-year term and will be a dedicated adjudicatory body for sports-related disputes in the country, providing a single-window mechanism for faster and more accessible resolution.
The Tribunal will have powers similar to those of a civil court, and its orders will be executable as such. No civil court shall have jurisdiction to entertain any suit or proceeding in respect of any matter on which the Tribunal is empowered to determine, and no injunction shall be granted.
The notification also requires any member of the tribunal to quit their existing parent organisation before joining the NST and bars them from accepting any employment or association with any person, committee or NSF for a period of two years from the date of their leaving the tribunal.
Published – May 27, 2026 01:12 am IST
