Combatting anti-competitive practices in the commercialised sports industry with special emphasis on sports federations in India

‘Yeh Dus Saal Aap key Naam’ (These 10 years are dedicated to the people)-The title of the theme song of the tenth edition of the VIVO Indian Premier League (2017) narrates the story of the sports industry in India. The sports industry has undergone rapid commercialisation since the advent of professional leagues in the various fields of sport. The commercialised sports industry remains to be one of the fastest-growing industries in the world evolving at a rapid pace. However, the path has not been one that has been straightforward. The failure of sound legislation for ‘Sports Law’ in India coupled with various anti-competitive practices arising in the Industry has caused hindrances to the growth of the industry in the near future. The authors in the present paper shed light on the situation concerning ‘Sports Law’ in India. Furthermore, the rapid commercialisation of the industry makes it vital for Competition Law to intervene and safeguard any anti-competitive practices to arise. The paper lays emphasis on the landmark cases which illustrate the interface between competition law and sports in India and various competition law issues such as the abuse of dominance, the identification of relevant market and jurisdiction concerns over the sports federations that arise due to their anti-competitive practices. Therefore, relying on the aforementioned statements, the paper emphasises on the complex relationship between competition law and sports federations in India paving the way for what lies ahead in the near future.