Sports is one of the easiest scoring areas in the exam, because the same facts come back again and again: which cup or trophy goes with which sport, the terms used in each game, the number of players in a team, India's national game and sports awards, and the big events — the Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. This page gathers all of those into simple tables, with pictures and real past questions so you can fix them in memory fast.
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Past questions on this topic
Punjab Police, PSSSB & SSC
1896
First modern Olympics
Athens, Greece
29 Aug
National Sports Day
Major Dhyan Chand's birthday
India's national game and sports awards
Dhyan Chand, hockey, and the four big awards.
KEY TERM
Hockey — India's unofficial national game
Hockey is popularly called India's national game, mainly because of its golden run at the Olympics (8 gold medals in all — India's best sport at the Games). Officially, the government has said India has no declared national game.
| Award | Given for | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna | Highest sporting honour | Renamed from Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2021 |
| Arjuna Award | Outstanding performance over years | For players |
| Dronacharya Award | Excellence in coaching | For coaches |
| Dhyan Chand Award | Lifetime achievement | For veteran contribution |
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · SSC — National Sports Day of India is celebrated on 29 August every year in honour of which sportsperson?
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Answer: D — Major Dhyan Chand
29 August is Dhyan Chand's birthday; hence National Sports Day honours him.
The big multi-sport events
When they started and where the first was held.
| Event | First held | Held every | Key fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modern Olympics | 1896, Athens | 4 years | Revived by Pierre de Coubertin |
| Asian Games | 1951, New Delhi | 4 years | India hosted the first one |
| Commonwealth Games | 1930, Hamilton (Canada) | 4 years | First called British Empire Games |
| FIFA World Cup | 1930, Uruguay | 4 years | Football's biggest event |
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · SSC — In which year were the first modern Summer Olympic Games held?
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Answer: C — 1896
The first modern Olympics were held in 1896 at Athens, Greece.
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · SSC — The first Commonwealth Games was held in:
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Answer: D — 1930
The first Commonwealth Games (then British Empire Games) were held in 1930 at Hamilton, Canada.
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · SSC — In which sport has India won the maximum gold medals at the Olympics?
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Answer: C — Hockey
India's 8 Olympic hockey golds are its best medal haul in any sport.
How many players in a team
Count on the field, not the squad.
| Sport | Players | Sport | Players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cricket | 11 | Kabaddi | 7 |
| Hockey | 11 | Kho-Kho | 9 on field (12 squad) |
| Football | 11 | Volleyball | 6 |
| Basketball | 5 | Polo | 4 |
| Water polo | 7 | Rugby | 15 |
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · SSC — How many players are there in Kho-Kho?
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Answer: D — 12
A Kho-Kho team has 12 players; 9 are on the field at a time.
Terms that belong to one sport
A term in the question is a strong clue to the sport.
| Sport | Common terms |
|---|---|
| Cricket | LBW, googly, maiden over, no-ball, cover drive |
| Hockey | bully, dribble, roll-in, penalty corner |
| Tennis | ace, deuce, love, double fault, volley |
| Kabaddi | raider, lona, antis, bonus point |
| Chess | check, checkmate, gambit, Wazir, Knight, King, Queen |
| Football | dribble, offside, penalty, hat-trick |
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · SSC — The term 'roll-in' is used in:
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Answer: C — Hockey
'Roll-in' is a hockey term used to restart play when the ball crosses the sideline.
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · SSC — 'Lona' is related to which game?
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Answer: B — Kabaddi
'Lona' is a Kabaddi term: a team scores a lona by putting out all opponents.
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · SSC — The term 'Double Fault' is related with:
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Answer: B — Tennis
A double fault is in tennis — the server misses both serves and loses the point.
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · SSC — The terms 'Wazir, Knight, King and Queen' are associated with which sport?
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Answer: C — Chess
King, Queen, Knight and the Persian 'Wazir' are chess pieces.
Cups and trophies by sport
One of the most-asked sports areas.
| Trophy / Cup | Sport |
|---|---|
| Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Irani Cup | Cricket |
| Santosh Trophy, Durand Cup, Subroto Cup | Football |
| Agha Khan Cup, Dhyan Chand Trophy, Rangaswamy Cup | Hockey |
| Thomas Cup (men), Uber Cup (women) | Badminton |
| Davis Cup, Hopman Cup | Lawn Tennis |
| Ryder Cup | Golf |
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · SSC — Uber Cup is associated with:
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Answer: C — Badminton
The Uber Cup is the world team championship for women's badminton.
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · SSC — The Santosh Trophy is an award for the winning team of:
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Answer: D — Football
The Santosh Trophy is India's main domestic football competition.
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · SSC — The Ryder Cup is associated with which sport?
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Answer: D — Golf
The Ryder Cup is a team golf competition between Europe and the USA.
Traditional Indian games
Kabaddi, Kho-Kho and the boat races.
Indian traditional sports
Kabaddi — 7 players a side; a raider must chant and return without being caught.
Doha 2006 · CC BY 2.0
Vallam Kali is Kerala's snake-boat racing; the Nehru Trophy Boat Race is the famous one.
Manoj Karingamadathil · CC BY-SA 3.0
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · SSC — What kind of a traditional sport is 'Vallam Kali'?
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Answer: C — Boat racing
Vallam Kali is the traditional snake-boat race of Kerala.
Famous stadiums and venues
Big names that turn up in GK.
| Venue | City | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Narendra Modi Stadium | Ahmedabad | World's largest cricket ground |
| Eden Gardens | Kolkata | Oldest Test ground in India |
| Wankhede Stadium | Mumbai | 2011 World Cup final |
| Salt Lake (VYBK) | Kolkata | Huge football stadium |
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · SSC — Geet Sethi is associated with which game?
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Answer: A — Billiards
Geet Sethi is a world-champion English billiards player from India.
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · SSC — What is the National Game of the USA?
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Answer: A — Baseball
Baseball is called the national pastime of the USA.
COMMON TRAPS
- 'National game' — hockey is popular belief; officially India has none declared.
- Khel Ratna is the HIGHEST award; Arjuna is below it; Dronacharya is for coaches only.
- Kho-Kho = 12 in the squad but 9 on the field — read the wording.
- Thomas Cup = men, Uber Cup = women (both badminton).
- First modern Olympics 1896 (Athens); first Asian Games 1951 (Delhi); first CWG 1930.
FLASHCARDS
Quick revision — match these
- Santosh Trophy
- Football
- Uber Cup
- Badminton (women)
- Ryder Cup
- Golf
- 'Lona'
- Kabaddi
- 'Roll-in'
- Hockey
- National Sports Day
- 29 August (Dhyan Chand)
CHECK YOURSELF
'Deuce' and 'advantage' are terms from which sport? (a) Hockey (b) Tennis (c) Kabaddi (d) Cricket
Show answer
(b) Tennis. At 40–40 the score is 'deuce'; the next point won is 'advantage'.