UPSSSC PET · Bite-size lessons
Indian & International Sports
About 7 min · General Awareness · English
Time worked out from the lesson's 481 words at 150 words a minute, plus a minute for each question.
Sports questions in UPSSSC PET typically test your awareness of major sporting events (Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games), prominent Indian and international athletes, cricket milestones, and government sports awards like Khel Ratna and Arjuna.
Key ideas
- Olympic Games: Held every 4 years (Summer and Winter separately); governed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Tokyo 2020 (held 2021) and Paris 2024 are recent Summer Olympics. India's best performance came in Tokyo 2020 with 7 medals (1 gold, 2 silver, 4 bronze).
- Asian Games: Continental multi-sport event held every 4 years under Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). Hangzhou 2022 (postponed to 2023) and Jakarta-Palembang 2018 are recent editions. India typically wins 50+ medals, strong in athletics, shooting, wrestling, kabaddi.
- Commonwealth Games: Held every 4 years among Commonwealth nations. Glasgow 2026 was the latest (after Birmingham 2022). India usually ranks top 5, excelling in wrestling, weightlifting, boxing, badminton.
- Cricket Structures: ICC manages international cricket. Formats are Test (5-day), ODI (50-over), T20 (20-over). Major tournaments include ICC World Cup (ODI), T20 World Cup, Champions Trophy, Asia Cup. IPL (Indian Premier League) is the premier domestic T20 league globally.
- National Sports Awards (India): Awarded annually on National Sports Day (29 August, Major Dhyan Chand's birthday). Hierarchy from highest: Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna → Arjuna Award → Dronacharya Award (coaches) → Dhyan Chand Award (lifetime achievement).
Watch out for
- Confusing Khel Ratna with Arjuna Award: Khel Ratna is the highest award; Arjuna is the second-tier award. Students often mix the hierarchy. Fix: Remember Khel Ratna = ₹25 lakh, Arjuna = ₹15 lakh.
- Wrong Olympic host years: Mixing Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021 due to COVID) with other events. Fix: Tokyo 2020 actually occurred in 2021; Paris 2024 in summer 2024; Los Angeles 2028 is next.
- Assuming hockey is still India's dominant Olympic sport: India won 8 hockey golds between 1928–1980, but none from 1980–2020. The bronze in Tokyo 2020 was first medal in 41 years. Fix: Hockey is historically strong but no longer dominant; current strengths are shooting, wrestling, badminton.
Quick reference
- India's Olympic golds: 10 total (8 hockey + 1 shooting Abhinav Bindra 2008 + 1 athletics Neeraj Chopra 2020).
- Tokyo 2020: 7 medals, best performance; Neeraj Chopra gold in javelin.
- Paris 2024: 6 medals; Manu Bhaker double bronze; Neeraj Chopra silver.
- T20 World Cup 2024: India won; Rohit Sharma captain; final vs South Africa.
- Khel Ratna recipients 2021-24: Neeraj Chopra (2021), Sharath Kamal (2022), multiple in 2023-24 batch.
Check yourself: 3 questions
1. Who was the first Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal?
2. The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, India's highest sporting honour, was renamed in 2021. What was its original name?
3. In which Asian Games did India win its first gold medal in women's 4x400m relay?
This lesson is cut from the topic's note, not rewritten. Fact-checked on 17 Oct 2026: an AI-assisted check of this note against cited sources; the errors it found were corrected that day. Some errors may remain. The questions are from Shishya's validated question bank.
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