Sports General Knowledge Notes for Competitive Exams

Sports general knowledge is a regular part of the General Awareness section in SSC, banking, railways, defence, police and state examinations. Questions are asked on the Olympic Games, Asian and Commonwealth Games, cricket and other world cups, trophies and cups, famous players, awards, stadiums and sports terms. These facts are easy to remember when they are grouped properly. This note gives the most important sports facts in simple language, in tables and lists that you can revise quickly.

The Olympic Games

The modern Olympic Games began in 1896 in Athens, Greece, and were started by Pierre de Coubertin, who is called the Father of the Modern Olympics. The Olympics are held every four years. The headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Olympic motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius" (Faster, Higher, Stronger), and the word "Communiter" (Together) was added in 2021. The Olympic flag has five interlocking rings of blue, yellow, black, green and red colours on a white background, which stand for the five inhabited continents. The Olympic flame is lit at Olympia in Greece.

India at the Olympics

• India first took part in 1900 in Paris, where Norman Pritchard won two silver medals in athletics.
• India won eight gold medals in hockey between 1928 and 1980.
• K. D. Jadhav won the first individual medal for independent India, a bronze in wrestling at Helsinki 1952.
• Abhinav Bindra won India's first individual gold medal in the 10 m air rifle at Beijing 2008.
• Neeraj Chopra won gold in javelin at Tokyo 2020 (87.58 m) and silver at Paris 2024.
• P. V. Sindhu is the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals (silver in 2016 and bronze in 2020).
• Manu Bhaker won two bronze medals in shooting at Paris 2024, and India won six medals there, including the hockey bronze.
• Sushil Kumar won two individual medals in wrestling (bronze in 2008 and silver in 2012).

Asian Games and Commonwealth Games

The first Asian Games were held in New Delhi in 1951. They are held every four years, and the 2023 edition (held in Hangzhou, China, in 2023) saw India win a record 107 medals. The Asian Games are organised by the Olympic Council of Asia. The Commonwealth Games are held among the members of the Commonwealth, and the first edition was held in Hamilton, Canada, in 1930 (then called the British Empire Games). India hosted the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010. Recent editions were held in Gold Coast (2018) and Birmingham (2022). The Commonwealth Games Federation is based in London.

Cricket World Cups

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has its headquarters in Dubai, and the BCCI is based in Mumbai. The largest cricket stadium in the world is the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with a seating capacity of about 1.3 lakh. Eden Gardens is in Kolkata, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Sachin Tendulkar has scored 100 international centuries and received the Bharat Ratna in 2014, becoming the first sportsperson to get the honour.

Famous Trophies and Cups

India won the Thomas Cup for the first time in 2022, defeating Indonesia in the final. The four Grand Slam tennis tournaments are the Australian Open (hard court), the French Open (clay, at Roland Garros), Wimbledon (grass) and the US Open (hard court).

Famous Players and Their Achievements

• Major Dhyan Chand: The hockey wizard with three Olympic golds (1928, 1932, 1936). His birthday, 29 August, is celebrated as National Sports Day.
• Milkha Singh: Known as "the Flying Sikh"; finished fourth in the 400 m at the Rome Olympics in 1960.
• P. T. Usha: Known as the "Payyoli Express"; finished fourth in the 400 m hurdles at Los Angeles 1984.
• Mary Kom: Six-time world boxing champion and Olympic bronze medallist in 2012.
• Viswanathan Anand: Five-time World Chess Champion. D. Gukesh became the youngest World Chess Champion in 2024.
• Saina Nehwal: Olympic bronze in badminton in 2012. P. V. Sindhu: World Champion in 2019.
• Usain Bolt: Jamaican sprinter with world records in 100 m (9.58 s) and 200 m (19.19 s) and eight Olympic golds.
• Michael Phelps: American swimmer with 23 Olympic gold medals, the highest ever.
• Lionel Messi: Led Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup and has won the Ballon d'Or eight times.
• Roger Federer (20 Grand Slams), Rafael Nadal (22) and Novak Djokovic (24 men's Grand Slams) are tennis legends.

Sports Bodies and Their Headquarters

Sports Terms and Number of Players

Cricket terms include googly, yorker, LBW, maiden over and duck. Football terms include offside, penalty and dribbling. Hockey has bully and penalty corner. Badminton uses shuttle, smash and love. Tennis has ace, deuce and love. Golf has birdie, eagle and bogey. Chess has checkmate, castling and stalemate. Polo has chukker, and basketball has dunk. A cricket, football or hockey team has 11 players; kabaddi has 7; basketball has 5; volleyball has 6; baseball has 9; rugby union has 15 and polo has 4 players in a team.

Sports Awards in India

The highest sporting honour in India is the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, which was renamed from the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2021. Other awards are the Arjuna Award for outstanding performance, the Dronacharya Award for coaches and the Dhyan Chand Award for lifetime achievement. The Khelo India programme was launched in 2018 to promote sports at the grassroots level, and 29 August is observed as National Sports Day.

Playing Areas, Measurements and Important Venues

Examiners often ask simple facts about the playing ground and the rules. A cricket pitch is 22 yards (about 20 metres) long, and a match in the ODI format has 50 overs for each team. A football match lasts 90 minutes in two halves of 45 minutes each, and a hockey match lasts 60 minutes in four quarters. A marathon is 42.195 km long. An Olympic swimming pool is 50 metres long, and an Olympic running track is 400 metres around. A standard badminton court is 13.4 metres long, and the basketball ring is fixed 10 feet above the floor. Wimbledon is played at the All England Club in London, the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris, and the Australian Open at Melbourne Park. The Olympic torch relay and the opening ceremony are watched by crores of people, and the host country is chosen by vote of the IOC several years in advance.

How to Revise Sports GK Smartly

Sports is a topic where facts change every year, so make two lists. The first list should contain static facts, such as headquarters, trophies, historical firsts and the number of players, which you can learn once and keep. The second list should contain current facts, such as the latest hosts, champions and award winners, which you must update every month from a good current affairs magazine. Revise the static list in tables, and use the colour or the sport as a memory cue. For example, remember that T stands for Thomas and "Men", and that U stands for Uber and "Women" in badminton. Write the last three winners of every major event on one page, and revise it before the examination. Question setters also like "first" facts, such as the first Indian to win an individual Olympic gold, so keep a separate page for all the firsts in your notes.

Quick Revision

• Modern Olympics: 1896 Athens, Pierre de Coubertin, IOC at Lausanne.
• Abhinav Bindra: first individual gold (2008); Neeraj Chopra: gold (2020), silver (2024).
• First Asian Games: New Delhi, 1951; Commonwealth Games in Delhi: 2010.
• ICC at Dubai, BCCI at Mumbai, FIFA at Zurich, BWF at Kuala Lumpur.
• Thomas Cup is men's, Uber Cup is women's and Sudirman Cup is mixed team badminton.

Revise this note along with the latest current affairs in sports, as new winners and hosts are asked in almost every examination.

Related Notes to Read Next

Continue your preparation with these related notes from the same subject:

• Dams, Lakes, Waterfalls and National Parks of India Notes
• First in India and the World Notes for Competitive Exams
• Important Articles of the Indian Constitution
• All General Awareness notes

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who started the modern Olympic Games and when?

Pierre de Coubertin started the modern Olympic Games, and the first edition was held in 1896 in Athens, Greece.

Where is the headquarters of the IOC?

The International Olympic Committee has its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

What is the Olympic motto?

The Olympic motto is Citius, Altius, Fortius, meaning Faster, Higher, Stronger, and the word Communiter, meaning Together, was added in 2021.

Who won the first individual Olympic gold for India?

Abhinav Bindra won India's first individual Olympic gold medal in the 10 m air rifle at Beijing 2008.

How many Olympic medals did India win in Paris 2024?

India won six medals at Paris 2024, including one silver and five bronze medals.

Where were the first Asian Games held?

The first Asian Games were held in New Delhi, India, in 1951.

Which team won the first ODI Cricket World Cup?

The West Indies won the first ODI Cricket World Cup in 1975 in England.

Where is the headquarters of the ICC?

The International Cricket Council has its headquarters in Dubai.

Which is the largest cricket stadium in the world?

The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is the largest cricket stadium in the world with a capacity of about 1.3 lakh.

What is the difference between Thomas Cup and Uber Cup?

The Thomas Cup is for men's team badminton, while the Uber Cup is for women's team badminton.

Why is 29 August celebrated as National Sports Day?

It is the birthday of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand and is celebrated as National Sports Day in India.

Which is the highest sports award in India?

The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is the highest sporting honour in India.