India Begins Cleaning Up Sport Governance

India has taken a slow but significant step towards reforming how sport is run. From January 1, 2026, parts of the National Sports Governance Act come into force, introducing basic design rules for accountability in Indian sport: age caps, cooling-off periods, athlete representation, and term limits for office bearers. This isn’t a performance upgrade. It’s a governance fix. For decades, Indian sport has been shaped by opaque federations, inherited power, and zero consequences for failure. The Act attempts to redesign the system itself treating sports bodies as public institutions. What’s partial today is still foundational. If enforced well, this framework could shift Indian sport from personality-driven control to rule-based stewardship where athletes, finally sit at the centre of decision-making.