Indian & International Sports — Study Notes

Overview

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. Expect 2–4 questions in the General Awareness section covering recent medal winners, hosting years of mega-events, record holders, and award recipients from the last 1–2 years.

Mastery requires remembering India's performance trends in athletics, shooting, wrestling, badminton, hockey, and cricket, alongside key Olympic/Asian Games hosting nations and years. You should also know the hierarchy of national sports awards and their recent awardees. Unlike deep analytical reasoning, sports GK rewards consistent reading of monthly current affairs and quick fact retention.

Focus on India-centric achievements (Neeraj Chopra, PV Sindhu, Mary Kom) and major global events (FIFA World Cup hosts, Olympic host cities) from 2016 onwards, as older events rarely appear in PET.

Key Concepts

• **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. Birmingham 2022 was the latest. 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).

• **FIFA World Cup**: Football's premier tournament, held every 4 years. Qatar 2022 won by Argentina (Lionel Messi). Brazil holds the most titles (5). India has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup finals.

• **India's Traditional Strengths**: Hockey (8 Olympic golds historically, recent bronze in Tokyo 2020), cricket (World Cup 1983, 2011; T20 World Cup 2007, 2024), badminton (PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal), wrestling (Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, Bajrang Punia), shooting (Abhinav Bindra, Manu Bhaker).

• **Recent Breakthroughs**: Neeraj Chopra won India's first athletics Olympic gold (javelin, Tokyo 2020) and World Championship gold (2023). Mirabai Chanu won silver in weightlifting (Tokyo 2020). India won bronze in men's hockey (Tokyo 2020) after 41 years.

Formulas / Key Facts

1. **Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award**: India's highest sporting honour (renamed from Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2021). Cash prize ₹25 lakh. Recent recipients: Neeraj Chopra (2021), Sharath Kamal (2022), multiple athletes in 2023-24.

2. **Arjuna Award**: Recognises consistent outstanding performance over 4 years. Cash prize ₹15 lakh. Given to about 15–25 athletes annually across different sports.

3. **Dronacharya Award**: For exceptional coaches. Two categories — Regular (active coaching) and Lifetime. Cash prize ₹15 lakh (Regular), ₹5 lakh (Lifetime).

4. **Dhyan Chand Award**: Lifetime achievement for retired sportspersons who contributed even after retirement. Cash prize ₹10 lakh.

5. **Olympics 2024 (Paris)**: Held July–August 2024. India won 6 medals (exact medal tally varies — update with latest count). Neeraj Chopra won silver in javelin. Manu Bhaker won 2 bronze medals (shooting).

6. **Asian Games 2023 (Hangzhou)**: India won 100+ medals including 20+ golds. Strong showing in athletics, shooting, kabaddi, wrestling.

7. **ICC Cricket World Cup 2023**: Hosted by India (October–November 2023). Australia won the final defeating India. India remained unbeaten until the final.

8. **T20 World Cup 2024**: India won the title (June 2024, West Indies & USA), defeating South Africa in final. Rohit Sharma captained; Virat Kohli won Player of the Final.

9. **IPL (Indian Premier League)**: Started 2008, franchises now 10 teams. Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians each have 5 titles. Kolkata Knight Riders won IPL 2024.

10. **Hockey World Cup**: Men's tournament held every 4 years. India hosted 2023 edition (Bhubaneswar-Rourkela); Germany won. India's last World Cup win was 1975.

11. **Badminton World Championships**: PV Sindhu won gold (2019), silver (2017, 2018); India's only world champion. HS Prannoy won bronze (2023).

12. **FIFA World Cup 2022**: Argentina won (defeating France in final). Lionel Messi won Golden Ball. Held in Qatar (November–December 2022).

Worked Examples

**Example 1**: Who won India's first individual Olympic gold medal? **Solution**: Abhinav Bindra won gold in 10m Air Rifle shooting at Beijing Olympics 2008. This was India's first individual Olympic gold; prior golds were only in field hockey (team event). Remember: Neeraj Chopra won the first athletics gold in 2020.

**Example 2**: Name the Indian woman cricketer who scored 10,000+ international runs across formats. **Solution**: Mithali Raj is the first Indian woman cricketer to cross 10,000 international runs (ODI + T20 + Test combined). She retired in 2022 and was one of the most prolific run-scorers in women's cricket history. Also remember: Harmanpreet Kaur captained India in recent tournaments.

**Example 3**: Which award did Neeraj Chopra receive in 2021 for his Tokyo Olympics performance? **Solution**: Neeraj Chopra received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021 (India's highest sports honour). He also received the Padma Shri the same year. In 2022, he won Param Vishisht Seva Medal from the Indian Army (he is a Subedar in the Army).

**Example 4**: India's medal tally in Tokyo 2020 Olympics? **Solution**: India won 7 medals — 1 gold (Neeraj Chopra, javelin), 2 silver (Mirabai Chanu weightlifting, Ravi Kumar Dahiya wrestling), 4 bronze (PV Sindhu badminton, Lovlina Borgohain boxing, Bajrang Punia wrestling, men's hockey team). This was India's best-ever Olympic performance in terms of total medals.

Common Mistakes

• **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; Khel Ratna given to 1–5 athletes/year, Arjuna to 15–25.

• **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.

• **Mixing FIFA World Cup and Cricket World Cup**: Both are called "World Cup" but belong to different sports. **Fix**: FIFA = football, every 4 years; Cricket World Cup = every 4 years (ODI), T20 World Cup = every 2 years (approx).

• **Forgetting recent award name change**: Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna was renamed to Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in August 2021. **Fix**: Use "Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna" for any question about highest sports award post-2021.

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.
• **Cricket World Cup 2023**: Australia defeated India in final; hosted in India.
• **Asian Games 2023**: Hangzhou; India won 100+ medals.
• **National Sports Day**: 29 August (Major Dhyan Chand's birthday); awards announced.
• **IPL 2024**: Kolkata Knight Riders champions.