RTI clause in new sports bill could cause problems for BCCI

The BCCI could clash with the Sports Ministry as a contentious clause in the Draft National Sports Development Bill states that only those federations who come under the Right to Information Act (RTI) ambit will have the right to use ‘India’ as the team’s name. The committee headed by Justice (retired) Mukul Mudgal on Wednesday submitted the Draft National Sports Development Bill to the ministry. Clause (h) of the proposed Bill will certainly cause a few problems for the BCCI as it pertains to use of country name in sporting activities. [caption id=“attachment_946413” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Only those federations who come under the Right to Information Act (RTI) ambit will have the right to use ‘India’ as the team’s name. Reuters[/caption] It states: “In order to represent India in international events and to have a right for a particular sport federation to use ‘India’ or ‘Indian’ in the sport scenario, the federation shall have to comply with Chapter IV (Unethical practices in Sports) and Chapter IX (Applicability of Right to Information Act).” The BCCI is not a registered National Sports Federation (NSF) as it does not take government grant and thus cannot be brought under RTI but if the Draft Sports Bill is finally passed by the Parliament, then Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Co can’t officially represent ‘India’ at international tournaments. BCCI’s interim chief Jagmohan Dalmiya declined to comment on the issue before having a detailed look at the document. “It will be unfair to make any comments on this issue until I get a copy of the draft Sports Bill. Once I have a detailed look, I will discuss the issue with the other senior members of the board and take a final call,” Dalmiya told PTI. PTI