Any person seeking to be designated as a Sportsperson of Outstanding Merit shall satisfy ALL of the following:

1. Be an Indian citizen;
2. Be of sound mind;
3. Not be less than twenty-five (25) years of age; and
4. Have retired from active competitive sport and not have participated in any competitive basketball event which leads to selection to represent a district, State or India, for at least one (1) year prior to the date of submission of the application under Rule XXXVI(4).

Applicants for the SOM Roster shall have achieved the milestones in the relevant Tier set out below, in the sport of Basketball only, while representing India, except in the case of Tier 10 where the applicant shall have represented a particular State:

Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit — Roster, Eligibility and Representation

1. Representation in General Body. The General Body shall include, as voting members, at least four (4) Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit, or any higher even number as determined by the General Body, of whom fifty per cent (50%) shall be male and fifty per cent (50%) shall be female.
2. Representation on Executive Committee. At least two (2) Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit shall be members of the Executive Committee, of whom at least one (1) shall be a woman. Such Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit shall be elected in accordance with Rule IX and Schedule II.
3. General Eligibility Criteria for SOM. Any person seeking to be designated as a Sportsperson of Outstanding Merit shall: (a) be an Indian citizen; (b) be of sound mind; (c) not be less than twenty-five (25) years of age; and (d) have retired from active competitive sport and not have participated in any competitive basketball event which leads to selection to represent a district, State or India, for at least one (1) year prior to the date of application.
4. Call for Applications. The Executive Committee shall call for applications from persons seeking to be considered as Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit at least ninety-five (95) days before the expiry of the Executive Committee's term. The call shall specify the general eligibility criteria and the tiered eligibility criteria in Schedule I. Applications must be submitted within sixty (60) days of the call.
5. Preparation of SOM Rosters. The Federation shall prepare a roster of male Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit and a roster of female Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit at least ninety (90) days prior to expiry of the Executive Committee's term. Each roster shall include at least ten (10) times the number of SOM seats in the General Body.
6. Procedure for Populating SOM Rosters.
   1. All applicants satisfying the general eligibility criteria and Tier 1 of Schedule I shall be included first;
   2. if the roster cannot be populated to the required threshold, applicants from the next Tier are added sequentially until the threshold is met;
   3. where a particular Tier results in the number exceeding the threshold, the eldest applicant(s) by age shall receive preference;
   4. where the Federation is unable to populate the roster through all Tiers, it may issue a fresh call for applications or frame additional tiered criteria based on the principles in Schedule I, with approval of the Executive Committee.
7. Publication and Submission. The finalised SOM Rosters shall be published on the official website of the Federation and submitted to the National Sports Board at least ninety (90) days prior to the expiry of the Executive Committee's term.
8. Election or Nomination to General Body. The nomination and election of the required Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit to the General Body shall be completed at least seventy-five (75) days prior to the expiry of the Executive Committee's term.
9. SOM Roster Validity. Any person whose name appears on the SOM Roster shall be considered a Sportsperson of Outstanding Merit of the Federation for all purposes of the Act, the NSG (National Sports Bodies) Rules, 2026, and this Constitution until a fresh roster is prepared.