National Sports Development Bill, 2011

New Sports Policy There is no proposal to have a new sports policy, as the National Sports Policy, 2001 is already in existence. This was stated by Shri Ajay Maken, Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs & Sports, in the Rajya Sabha today, in a written reply to a question by Shri N. Balaganga. The Minister further said that however, with the objective of formulating a suitable legal framework for national sports development including good governance among sports bodies, the Government proposes to enact national sports legislation, namely National Sports Development Bill, 2011. The draft Legislation has the following broad principles:

(i) Basic Universal Principles of Good Governance` endorsed by the XIII Olympic Congress, which include fair and transparent election process; age and tenure limit in respect of office bearers; and participation of athletes in decision making process.

ii) Anti-doping regulations compliant with WADA code to be given legislative backing . As a signatory to the UNESCO convention, India has shown highest commitment to movement against doping . It is a member of the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) and has constituted its own National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) on the lines of WADA.

(iii) Measures to prevent sexual harassment of women following the guidelines enunciated by the Supreme Court in the Vishakha judgment.

(iv) Foolproof guidelines for detection and prevention of age fraud in sports. (v) Effective and speedy resolution of sport-related disputes , including redressal of athletes’ grievances , through conciliation and mediation process by appointing a National Sports Ombudsman.

There is already a provision for 5% vacancies of direct recruitment quota in Group ‘C’ and erstwhile Group ‘D’ posts being reserved for appointment of meritorious sportspersons in Central Government Offices. There is no proposal to increase the quota for sportspersons in Central Government Offices, the Minister added.