Static GK· Prelims
Sports facts for prelims: Olympics, cricket, hockey, football and awards
India at the Olympics, cricket World Cups, hockey and football, rules and dimensions, Asian and Commonwealth Games, sports awards and stadiums: the sports facts prelims repeats, with practice questions.
Sports is a compact, high-scoring area of static GK. The same facts recur: India's Olympic firsts, the cricket World Cups, the rules and dimensions of common games, the multi-sport events India has hosted, and the national sports awards. This article collects them in one place, with the dates and numbers prelims actually asks.
The Olympics and India
The first modern Olympic Games were held at Athens in 1896. India first took part at Paris in 1900, when Norman Pritchard won two silver medals in athletics, the country's first Olympic medals. The first official Indian contingent went to Antwerp in 1920.
India's first Olympic gold came in team hockey at Amsterdam in 1928, the start of a run of eight hockey golds. The first individual Olympic medal was K. D. Jadhav's wrestling bronze at Helsinki in 1952, and the first individual gold was Abhinav Bindra's in shooting at Beijing in 2008.
Milkha Singh finished fourth in the 400 metres at Rome in 1960, a heartbreak that stood as India's closest near-miss for decades. P. V. Sindhu won silver at Rio in 2016 and bronze at Tokyo in 2020, becoming India's most decorated Olympic badminton player.
At Paris in 2024 India sent 117 athletes across 16 sports and won six medals: one silver and five bronze. The silver came from Neeraj Chopra in javelin, and the bronzes from Manu Bhaker in shooting, Sarabjot Singh, Swapnil Kusale, the men's hockey team and Aman Sehrawat in wrestling. Manu Bhaker became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic shooting medal and the first Indian since independence to win two medals in a single edition.
India has now won 41 Olympic medals, including 10 gold medals, eight of them in hockey. And one fact to hold firmly: India has no officially declared national game. Hockey is widely associated with the country, but the government has never declared any sport the national game.
Asked in SSC CGL 2026
Cricket World Cups
The first Cricket World Cup was played in 1975 and won by the West Indies. India won its first title in 1983 under Kapil Dev, beating the West Indies in the final, and its second in 2011 under M. S. Dhoni, beating Sri Lanka in Mumbai.
India won the first T20 World Cup in 2007, beating Pakistan in the final. Sachin Tendulkar scored his 100th international century against Bangladesh in 2012, the only cricketer to reach that mark.
Mohammad Azharuddin scored three consecutive centuries in his first three Tests, a record that still stands. Rohit Sharma is the only batsman with three double centuries in one-day internationals: 209, 264 and 208 not out.
The Calcutta Cricket Club, founded in 1792, is the second-oldest cricket club in the world after the Marylebone Cricket Club of 1787. Kumar Sangakkara became the first non-British president of the MCC in 2019.
Asked in RRB NTPC
Hockey and football
The first Hockey World Cup was played in 1971, and India has won it once, in 1975 at Kuala Lumpur. The Rangaswamy Cup, India's national hockey championship, was first played in 1928.
The first Football World Cup was played in 1930 in Uruguay, and Uruguay won it. India has never qualified for the World Cup finals.
Baichung Bhutia was the first Indian sportsperson to refuse to carry the Olympic torch, during the relay for the Beijing 2008 Games.
Rules, terms and dimensions
Terms are easy marks. In tennis a score of zero is called love. In chess, en passant is a special pawn capture. In football a yellow card is a caution and two yellows mean a sending-off. In cricket, the Chinaman delivery is named after Ellis Achong of the West Indies, a left-arm wrist spinner.
Game | Players per team | Field or court |
|---|---|---|
Cricket | 11 | Pitch 22 yards long |
Football | 11 | Field about 100 to 110 m long |
Hockey | 11 | Field 91.4 m by 55 m |
Basketball | 5 | Court 28 m by 15 m |
Volleyball | 6 | Court 18 m by 9 m |
Kabaddi | 7 | Court 13 m by 10 m for men |
Kho-kho | 9 on the field | Field 27 m by 16 m |
Badminton | 1 or 2 | Court 13.4 m by 6.1 m |
Tennis | 1 or 2 | Court 23.77 m by 8.23 m for singles |
Asked in SSC CGL 2026
Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and National Games
The first Asian Games were held at New Delhi in 1951, and India hosted them again in 1982. The 18th edition was held at Jakarta-Palembang in 2018 and the 19th at Hangzhou in 2023, where India won 107 medals, its best ever haul. The 20th edition is scheduled at Aichi-Nagoya in 2026.
The first Commonwealth Games were held at Hamilton in 1930. India first took part in 1934, and its best haul came at home in Delhi in 2010: 101 medals, including 38 gold. The 2026 edition was held at Glasgow from 23 July to 2 August 2026, with 10 sports.
The Commonwealth has 56 members. Gabon and Togo joined in June 2022, the first new members with no historic link to the Commonwealth.
The National Games began in 1924 at Lahore as the Indian Olympic Games. The 38th edition was hosted by Uttarakhand from 28 January to 14 February 2025, with Dehradun as the main hub, and the 39th edition is scheduled in Chhattisgarh.
Asked in SSC CGL 2026
Sports awards
The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna is India's highest sporting honour. It was instituted in 1991-92 as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, and the first recipient was chess player Viswanathan Anand. It was renamed in August 2021 and carries a cash award of Rs 25 lakh.
The Arjuna Award, instituted in 1961, is India's oldest national sports award; the first batch had 20 athletes. It carries a cash award of Rs 15 lakh.
The Dronacharya Award, instituted in 1985, honours coaches. Its first recipients were O. M. Nambiar for athletics, B. B. Bhagwat for wrestling and Om Prakash Bhardwaj for boxing. It carries a cash award of Rs 15 lakh.
National Sports Day is observed on 29 August, the birthday of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand.
Stadiums
The Narendra Modi Stadium at Ahmedabad is the largest cricket stadium in the world, with a capacity of about 1,32,000 spectators. Eden Gardens in Kolkata and the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai are the other two grounds every aspirant should know.
Prelims practice
India's first individual Olympic gold medal was won by:
Show answer
Answer: (A) Abhinav Bindra won India's first individual Olympic gold in shooting at Beijing in 2008; Jadhav's 1952 medal was a bronze.
India's first Olympic gold came in team hockey at:
Show answer
Answer: (A) India won its first Olympic gold in team hockey at Amsterdam in 1928, the start of eight hockey golds.
India has won the Cricket World Cup in:
Show answer
Answer: (A) India won the Cricket World Cup in 1983 under Kapil Dev and in 2011 under M. S. Dhoni; the 2007 title was the T20 World Cup.
The first recipient of the Khel Ratna was:
Show answer
Answer: (A) Viswanathan Anand was the first recipient of the Khel Ratna, instituted in 1991-92.
The 38th National Games were hosted by:
Show answer
Answer: (A) The 38th National Games were hosted by Uttarakhand from 28 January to 14 February 2025.
Answer key
- (a): Abhinav Bindra won India's first individual Olympic gold in shooting at Beijing in 2008; Jadhav's 1952 medal was a bronze.
- (a): India won its first Olympic gold in team hockey at Amsterdam in 1928, the start of eight hockey golds.
- (a): India won the Cricket World Cup in 1983 under Kapil Dev and in 2011 under M. S. Dhoni; the 2007 title was the T20 World Cup.
- (a): Viswanathan Anand was the first recipient of the Khel Ratna, instituted in 1991-92.
- (a): The 38th National Games were hosted by Uttarakhand from 28 January to 14 February 2025.
Frequently asked questions
How many medals did India win at Paris 2024?
Six: one silver and five bronze. The silver came from Neeraj Chopra in javelin, and the bronzes from Manu Bhaker, Sarabjot Singh, Swapnil Kusale, the men's hockey team and Aman Sehrawat.
Is hockey India's national game?
No. India has no officially declared national game. Hockey is widely associated with the country, but the government has never declared any sport the national game.
When did India first win the Cricket World Cup?
In 1983, under Kapil Dev, beating the West Indies in the final. India won its second title in 2011 under M. S. Dhoni.
Which is the largest cricket stadium in the world?
The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with a capacity of about 1,32,000 spectators.