1. This Act may be called the ¹[National Sports Council] Act, 1974.

2. In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context,- ²[(a) ÔÇÿCouncil' means the National Sports Council constituted under section 3; (b) ÔÇÿChairman', ÔÇÿ ³[Secretary]' and ÔÇÿTreasurer' mean respectively the Chairman, ⁴[Secretary] and Treasurer of the Council;](c) “Executive Committee” means the Executive Committee of the Council constituted under section 11;(d) “national sports organisation” means an organisation constituted on a national basis for controlling sports and recognised as such by the Council;(e) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under the Act;(f) “sports” means a game for recreation involving bodily exercise and includes such other games as the Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, declare to be sports for the purposes of this Act.

3. (1) As soon as may be after the commencement of this Act, the Government shall, by notification in the official Gazette, constitute, in accordance with the provisions of this Act, a Council to be called the ⁵[National Sports Council] for carrying out the purposes of this Act. (2) The Council shall be a body corporate having perpetual succession and a common seal with power, among others, to acquire, hold, manage and dispose of property, both movable and immovable, and shall by the said name sue and be sued.

⁶[4. (1) The Council shall consist of the following members, namely:-(a) the Chairman; ⁷[* * *](c) one representative from the Ministry of ⁸[Cultural Affairs and Sports] to be nominated by the Government;(d) Presidents of the organisations specified in entries 1 to 22 in Part I of the Schedule, ex-officio;(e) one representative from each of the District Sports Associations referred to in entry 23 of Part I of the Schedule to be nominated by the respective Association;(f) President of the Olympic Association, ex-officio;(g) President of the Bangladesh Mahila Krira Unnayan-O- Niyantran Sangstha, ex-officio;(h) one representative from each of the organisations specified in Part III of the Schedule to be nominated by the President of that organisation;(i) one representative from each of the organisations specified in Part IV of the Schedule to be nominated by that organisation; and(j) two distinguished sportsmen to be nominated by the Government. (2) Subject to the provisions of sub-section (3), a member of the Council other than an ex-officio member, shall hold office for a period of four years. (3) A person who is a member of the Council by virtue of nomination shall be liable to be recalled by the person or authority nominating him to be such member and, upon such recall, shall cease to be a member of the Council.

5. The Minister, and, if there be no Minister, the Member of the President's Council of Advisors, in-charge of the Ministry of ⁹[Cultural Affairs and Sports] or any other person to be nominated by the President shall be the Chairman of the Council and of the Executive Committee.]

6. [Vice-Chairman.- Omitted by section 7 of the Bangladesh Sports Council (Amendment) Ordinance, 1976 (XXXV of 1976).]

¹⁰[ ¹¹[7. (1) There shall be a Secretary of the Council who shall be appointed by the Government on such terms and conditions as it may deem fit. (2) The Secretary shall exercise such powers and perform such functions as the Council or the Executive Committee may assign to him from time to time.]

8. There shall be a Treasurer of the Council who shall be nominated by the Government from amongst the members of the Council and shall perform such functions as may be prescribed.

9. [Office Secretary.- Omitted by section 6 of the National Sports Control Board (Amendment) Ordinance, 1978 (LIII of 1978).]]

10. The functions of the Council shall be-(a) the development and regulation of sports and co-ordination of sports activities in Bangladesh;(b) the grant of recognition to the national sports organisations and the affiliation of other sports organisations;(c) the promotion and development of standards of national fitness as well as standards of competition comparable to international standards in sports;(d) the institution and execution of training and coaching schemes for international sports events;(e) the arrangement for participation of sports teams in sports events abroad;(f) making of grants to sports organisations for sports activities and also providing for such facilities as construction of stadia, swimming pools and gymnasia;(g) the maintenance and construction of such sports facilities as stadia, gymnasia, swimming pools, play grounds, training and coaching centres;(h) to provide for relief and assistance to needy and distinguished sportsmen after their retirement;(i) the adoption of measures to inculcate and ensure discipline in all sports organisations and among all sportsmen;(j) the publication of books, magazine, brochure and other literature on sports and sportsmen; and(k) doing of such other acts as are necessary for and conducive to carrying out the purposes of this Act.

¹²[11. (1) There shall be an Executive Committee of the Council which shall consist of the following members, namely:-(a) the Chairman, ex-officio;(b) a Vice-Chairman to be nominated by the Chairman; ¹³[* * *](d) the Treasurer, ex-officio; (e) one representative from the Ministry of ¹⁴[Cultural Affairs and Sports] to be nominated by the Government;(f) one representative from each of the organisations specified in entries 1 to 10 in Part I of the Schedule to be nominated by the President of that organisation;(g) one representative from the Army Sports Council or the Inter-Services Sports Council to be nominated by the Government;(h) one representative from the Inter-University Sports Council to be nominated by its President;(i) two distinguished persons in the field of sports to be nominated by the Government. (2) The Chairman ¹⁵[and Secretary] of the Council shall respectively be the Chairman ¹⁶[and Secretary] of the Executive Committee. (3) Subject to the provisions of sub-section (4) a member of the Executive Committee, other than an ex-officio member, shall hold office for a period of four years. (4) A person who is a member of the Executive Committee by virtue of nomination shall be liable to be recalled by the person or authority nominating him to be such member and, upon such recall, shall cease to be a member of the Executive Committee.]

12. (1) The administration of the Council shall vest in the Executive Committee which shall deal with any matter within the competence of the Council. (2) In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provision, the functions of the Executive Committee shall be-(a) to regulate the expenditure of the Council;(b) to appoint, with prior approval of the Government, officers and other employees of the Council on such terms and conditions as may be prescribed;(c) to establish coaching centres and encourage proper training of coaches, referees and sportsmen at all levels of sports;(d) to allocate funds, grants and subsidies to the national sports organisations and other sports organisations and to call for their audited accounts to probe into;(e) to approve the appointment of officials to accompany any sports team going abroad;(f) to recognise national sports organisations and to issue such directives as may be deemed necessary in the interest of promotion of sports;(g) to consider and approve the affiliation of a national sports organisation to international sports association, federations and the like; and(h) to execute all decisions of the Council.

13. (1) The meetings of the Council and the Executive Committee shall be held at such times and at such places as may be prescribed by rules: Provided that until rules are made in this behalf such meetings shall be convened by the Chairman. (2) Twenty-one members, in the case of a meeting of the Council, and seven members, in the case of a meeting of the Executive Committee, shall constitute a quorum. (3) A decision at a meeting of the Council and of the Executive Committee shall be taken by a majority of votes of the members present and voting, but the person presiding shall not vote except when there is an equality of votes, in which case he shall exercise a casting vote. ¹⁷[(4) The Chairman shall preside over the meetings of the Council and, in his absence, the members of the Council present shall elect a Chairman from amongst them to preside over that meeting. (4A) The Chairman, or in his absence, the Vice-Chairman shall preside over the meetings of the Executive Committee, and in the absence of both of them, the members of the Executive Committee present shall elect a Chairman from amongst them to preside over that meeting.] (5) No proceeding or decision of the Council or the Executive Committee shall be invalid by reason of the existence of any vacancy or defect in the constitution of the Council or the Executive Committee.

14. Where, upon the report of the Executive Committee that a member of the Council is guilty of such misconduct as renders him unfit to continue as such member, the Council, after giving the member an opportunity of being heard, passes a resolution declaring that the report is correct, the person to whom the resolution relates shall cease to be a member of the Council on the date such resolution is passed: Provided that no such report shall be made by the Executive Committee without giving the member concerned an opportunity of showing cause against such report.

15. (1) There shall be a fund to be called the ¹⁸[National Sports Council Fund] to which shall be credited all receipts of the Council including:-(a) grants from the Government;(b) membership fees;(c) donations in cash or kind;(d) sale proceeds from tickets, or any fee or other payment realised, for entry into any sports event arranged by the Council. (2) The ¹⁹[National Sports Council Fund] shall be applied to meet all such expenditure, including payment of salaries of the officers and employees of the Council, as is necessary to carry out the purposes of the Act, and shall be administered in such manner as may be prescribed by rules and, until such rules are made, in such manner as the Executive Committee, with the approval of the Chairman, direct.

16. (1) The Council shall submit to the Government, in such form before such day in each financial year as the Government may direct, a statement in triplicate to be called the annual budget statement for the next succeeding financial yearshowing the estimated expenditure and sums which are likely to be required from the Government during that financial year. (2) After examination of the statement submitted to it under sub-section (1), the Government shall return the statement, with or without modification, indicating the amount which the Council may expect from the Government as grants during the financial year to which the statement relates; and the Council shall accordingly modify the budget.

17. (1) The Council shall maintain proper accounts, prepare annual statement of accounts and present the accounts for audit, in such form as may be prescribed. (2) The accounts of the Council shall be audited by the Comptroller and Auditor-General of Bangladesh or any officer authorised by him every year in such manner as the Comptroller and Auditor-General may think fit.

18. (1) The Council shall furnish to the Government such reports, returns and statements as the Government may, from time to time, require. (2) The Council shall, as soon as possible after the end of every financial year, furnish to the Government a statement of accounts audited by the Comptroller and Auditor-General together with an annual report on the condition of its affairs for that year. (3) Copies of audited account and annual report received by the Government shall be published in the official Gazette and laid before Parliament.

19. The Government may, from time to time issue directions to the Council to take such measures as it may consider necessary for the efficient management of the affairs of the Council and the Council shall comply with such directions.

²⁰[20. Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, or in any agreement, contract, memorandum or articles of association or any other legal instrument, an organization specified in any of the entries 1 to 22 in Part I of the Schedule ²¹[ and organization affiliated, time to time, by the Council ]shall have a President as its head ²²[who shall be elected according to prescribed rules or, as the case may be, nominated by the Government] and any provision to the contrary in the constitution or the memorandum or articles of association of such organisation shall stand modified and have effect accordingly.

20A. Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, or in any agreement, contract, memorandum or articles of association or any other legal instrument, the Council shall have power-(a) to frame model constitution for all or any of the organisations affiliated to it;(b) to dissolve the executive committee, by whatever name called, of an organisation affiliated to it, if in its opinion, the executive committee does not act properly or acts in a manner prejudicial to the interest of the organisation and to appoint an ad-hoc executive committee in its place;(c) to dissolve all such executive committees, by whatever name called, of the organisations specified in entries 1 to 22 in Part I of the Schedule as were constituted prior to a date to be specified in this behalf by the Government;(d) to set up a Divisional Sports Association at the Headquarters of each Division.]

21. Upon the constitution of the Council:-(a) all property, movable and immovable ²³[ * * * ] and all rights, liabilities and obligations of the Committee appointed under Government resolution No. SVI/67-Edn. dated the 7th February, 1972 shall be those of the Council; and(b) all employees of that Committee ²⁴[* * *] shall be deemed to be the employees of the Council.

22. The Council may frame rules to carry out the purpose of this Act.

23. The Sports (Development and Control) Ordinance, 1962 (XVI of 1962), is hereby repealed.