Sports GK questions

GK by subject Updated 11 Oct 2026

These sports gk questions bring together 50 sports questions and answers on game rules, sports terms, the Olympics, famous trophies and India's sporting history. Every question has four options, one correct answer and a short explanation.

Sports related GK appears in school quizzes and in the general awareness section of SSC, railway, bank and state exams. This page sticks to facts that do not change, such as the number of players in a team, the length of a cricket pitch or where the first modern Olympics were held, so you can revise with confidence.

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Sports GK questions on rules and terms

Q1. A football side lines up with how many players on the field, including the goalkeeper?
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Answer: C. 11
Each football team fields 11 players, one of whom is the goalkeeper.
Q2. What is the length of a cricket pitch between the two sets of stumps?
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Answer: A. 22 yards
A cricket pitch is 22 yards, or about 20.12 metres, from one set of stumps to the other.
Q3. In which sport does the word 'love' mean a score of zero?
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Answer: D. Tennis
In tennis, a player with no points is said to have 'love', so a score of 15 to 0 is called fifteen love.
Q4. How many players of one team are on the court in volleyball?
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Answer: B. 6
A volleyball team has six players on court, three at the front and three at the back, who rotate after winning serve.
Q5. At the start of a kabaddi match, how many players from each side are on the court?
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Answer: C. 7
Each kabaddi side has seven players on court, and a raider must chant 'kabaddi' while in the opponents' half.
Q6. How many players of one team are on the court in basketball?
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Answer: B. 5
A basketball team plays with five players on court at a time, with substitutes allowed from the bench.
Q7. In cricket, what is a bowler said to have taken when he dismisses batters with three consecutive balls?
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Answer: D. A hat-trick
A hat-trick is three wickets off three consecutive deliveries by the same bowler.
Q8. In golf, what is a score of one stroke under par on a hole called?
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Answer: A. Birdie
A birdie is one under par, an eagle is two under par, and a bogey is one over par.
Q9. Which sport uses the terms 'scrum' and 'try'?
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Answer: C. Rugby
In rugby, a try is scored by grounding the ball over the opponents' goal line, and a scrum restarts play after some stoppages.
Q10. How many points is a successful free throw worth in basketball?
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Answer: A. 1
A free throw from the foul line counts for one point, while a field goal counts for two or three points.
Q11. What is the regular playing time of a football match, not counting stoppage time?
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Answer: D. 90 minutes
A football match has two halves of 45 minutes each, with extra stoppage time added by the referee.
Q12. In table tennis, a game is normally won by the first player to reach how many points?
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Answer: B. 11
A table tennis game is won at 11 points, but a player must lead by two points if the score reaches 10 all.
Q13. In badminton, a game is normally won by the first side to reach how many points?
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Answer: C. 21
Badminton games are played to 21 points under the rally scoring system, with a two point lead needed after 20 all.
Q14. The term 'googly' is used in which sport?
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Answer: B. Cricket
A googly is a delivery by a leg spin bowler that turns the opposite way from a normal leg break.
Q15. In netball, how many players of one team are on the court at a time?
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Answer: C. 7
A netball team has seven players on court, each with a set position such as goal shooter, centre and goal keeper.
Q16. What is the official distance of a marathon race?
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Answer: D. 42.195 km
The full marathon distance is 42.195 km; the half marathon is exactly half of that.
Q17. Which sport is played on a field called a 'diamond'?
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Answer: B. Baseball
In baseball, the four bases form a diamond shape, so the infield is called the diamond.
Q18. How many players of one team are on the field in a polo match?
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Answer: C. 4
Polo is played on horseback with four riders in each team.

Olympics GK questions

Q19. In which city were the first modern Olympic Games held in 1896?
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Answer: D. Athens
The first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, to honour the ancient Games of Olympia.
Q20. Who is known as the father of the modern Olympic Games?
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Answer: A. Pierre de Coubertin
Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France led the movement to revive the Olympic Games and founded the International Olympic Committee in 1894.
Q21. What does the Olympic motto 'Citius, Altius, Fortius' mean?
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Answer: A. Faster, Higher, Stronger
Citius, Altius, Fortius is Latin for Faster, Higher, Stronger.
Q22. Which of these colours is NOT one of the colours of the Olympic rings?
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Answer: D. Purple
The five rings are blue, yellow, black, green and red, set on a white background.
Q23. How often are the Summer Olympic Games normally held?
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Answer: C. Every 4 years
The period of four years between Olympic Games is called an Olympiad.
Q24. In which year did India win its first Olympic gold medal in hockey?
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Answer: B. 1928
India won hockey gold at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, the first of six gold medals in a row from 1928 to 1956.
Q25. Who won independent India's first individual Olympic medal?
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Answer: D. K. D. Jadhav
Wrestler Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav won a bronze medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.
Q26. Who won India's first individual Olympic gold medal?
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Answer: B. Abhinav Bindra
Abhinav Bindra won gold in the 10 metre air rifle event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Q27. Who was the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal?
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Answer: A. Karnam Malleswari
Weightlifter Karnam Malleswari won a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Q28. Which city was the first in Asia to host the Summer Olympic Games, in 1964?
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Answer: C. Tokyo
Tokyo hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics, the first Games held in Asia.
Q29. At which place in Greece is the Olympic flame lit before each Games?
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Answer: D. Olympia
The flame is lit at Olympia, site of the ancient Games, using the sun's rays and a curved mirror.

Sports trophies and cups

Q30. The Durand Cup, first held in 1888, is a tournament in which sport?
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Answer: B. Football
The Durand Cup is one of the oldest football tournaments in Asia and is organised with the support of the Indian armed forces.
Q31. The Thomas Cup is awarded in which sport?
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Answer: A. Badminton
The Thomas Cup is the men's world team championship in badminton; the women's event is the Uber Cup.
Q32. The Davis Cup is a team competition in which sport?
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Answer: C. Tennis
The Davis Cup is the international men's team event in tennis, first played in 1900.
Q33. The Santosh Trophy is the national championship of which sport in India?
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Answer: B. Football
The Santosh Trophy is contested by state football teams in India.
Q34. The Ryder Cup is played in which sport?
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Answer: A. Golf
The Ryder Cup is a golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States.
Q35. The Aga Khan Cup is associated with which sport?
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Answer: D. Hockey
The Aga Khan Cup is a well known hockey tournament held in India.
Q36. The Duleep Trophy belongs to which sport?
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Answer: C. Cricket
The Duleep Trophy is a first-class cricket competition in India, named after Duleepsinhji.
Q37. The Stanley Cup is awarded in which sport?
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Answer: B. Ice hockey
The Stanley Cup is the championship trophy of professional ice hockey in North America.

Indian sports GK

Q38. The birthday of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, 29 August, is observed in India as which day?
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Answer: C. National Sports Day
Dhyan Chand was born on 29 August 1905, and India marks the date as National Sports Day; National Youth Day is 12 January.
Q39. In which year did India win its first Cricket World Cup?
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Answer: A. 1983
India, led by Kapil Dev, beat the West Indies in the final at Lord's in 1983.
Q40. In which city were the first Asian Games held in 1951?
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Answer: D. New Delhi
The first Asian Games were held in New Delhi in March 1951.
Q41. The Dronacharya Award is given to whom?
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Answer: C. Sports coaches
The Dronacharya Award honours coaches whose trainees perform well, named after the teacher of the Pandavas and Kauravas.
Q42. Kalaripayattu is a traditional martial art from which state?
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Answer: D. Kerala
Kalaripayattu developed in Kerala and is practised in a training ground called a kalari.
Q43. On which surface is the Wimbledon tennis championship played?
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Answer: B. Grass
Wimbledon in London is the only one of tennis's four major tournaments played on grass.
Q44. On which surface is the French Open tennis tournament played?
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Answer: A. Clay
The French Open at Roland Garros in Paris is played on red clay courts, which slow the ball down.
Q45. The game of chess developed from which ancient Indian game?
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Answer: C. Chaturanga
Chaturanga, meaning 'four divisions' of an army, was played in India and is the ancestor of modern chess.
Q46. In which city is the Eden Gardens cricket ground?
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Answer: D. Kolkata
Eden Gardens in Kolkata is one of the oldest and biggest cricket grounds in India.
Q47. Which Indian city hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2010?
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Answer: B. New Delhi
The 19th Commonwealth Games were held in New Delhi in October 2010.
Q48. Who became India's first chess Grandmaster in 1988?
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Answer: A. Viswanathan Anand
Viswanathan Anand earned the Grandmaster title in 1988 and later became world chess champion.
Q49. Milkha Singh, known as the 'Flying Sikh', was famous in which sport?
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Answer: A. Athletics
Milkha Singh was a sprinter who finished fourth in the 400 metres at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
Q50. Which Indian athlete is known as the 'Payyoli Express'?
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Answer: B. P. T. Usha
P. T. Usha, from Payyoli in Kerala, missed a bronze in the 400 metres hurdles at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics by one hundredth of a second.

How to prepare

Sports GK is easier to remember when you group it. Make one list of team sizes (football 11, hockey 11, volleyball 6, basketball 5, kabaddi 7, polo 4), one of trophies and their sports, one of tournament surfaces, and one of India's Olympic firsts with year and city. Most exam questions on sports come from these four lists.

Attempt each section on this page without looking at the answers, then read every explanation. Exams often turn one fact into several questions, for example asking the year, the city or the event of a medal, so learn all three together. Revise trophies and Olympic firsts once a week until you can recall them instantly.

Study tips

Write trophies in a two column table of trophy and sport, and test yourself by covering one column.
Link each Olympic first with its year, host city and event so you can answer any version of the question.
Learn team sizes and scoring rules together by watching a few minutes of each sport.

Questions people ask

What sports GK questions are asked in competitive exams?

Exams usually ask about trophies and their sports, number of players in a team, Olympic firsts for India, sports terms, and national sports awards. Questions on game rules and the history of events like the Asian Games are also common.

How can I remember sports trophies and cups?

Group trophies by sport, such as Durand Cup and Santosh Trophy for football or Ranji and Duleep Trophy for cricket. Revising them as a table and quizzing yourself every few days works well.

Are these sports GK questions useful for school students?

Yes. Questions on rules, team sizes and the Olympics suit students from about class 5, while the trophies and Indian sports history sections help senior students and exam aspirants.

Do these questions include recent match results?

No. This page covers only facts that do not change, such as rules, terms and historic firsts. Recent results and records change often, so check a reliable news source for those.

Every question on this page is written and fact-checked by the GK Quizzes team. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it. How we make our questions.