Graduate Level intermediate Sports Olympics Cricket FIFA General Knowledge Commonwealth Games
Complete study notes on major sporting events, India's medals, famous sportspersons, trophies, and recent achievements for Kerala PSC Graduate Level exams.
Published: 20 Apr 2026
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Sports questions appear regularly in Kerala PSC exams (2-4 questions per paper). They cover Olympics, Cricket World Cups, FIFA, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and India’s achievements. This note provides comprehensive, exam-ready facts.
Olympic Games
Fact Detail Origin Ancient Olympics in Olympia, Greece (776 BC) Modern Olympics revived by Baron Pierre de Coubertin (France) First Modern Olympics Athens, Greece (1896) Motto ”Citius, Altius, Fortius — Communiter” (Faster, Higher, Stronger — Together; “Together” added in 2021) Symbol Five interlocked rings (blue, yellow, black, green, red) representing five continents Olympic flag designed 1913 by Pierre de Coubertin; first flown at 1920 Antwerp Olympics Frequency Every 4 years (Summer and Winter alternating every 2 years) Governing body International Olympic Committee (IOC); HQ in Lausanne, Switzerland India first participated 1900 Paris Olympics (Norman Pritchard — 2 silver medals in athletics) Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Founded 1927
Recent and Upcoming Olympic Host Cities
Year City Notable 2008 Beijing, China 2012 London, UK 2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2020 (held 2021) Tokyo, Japan Delayed due to COVID-19 2024 Paris, France 2028 Los Angeles, USA Upcoming 2032 Brisbane, Australia Upcoming
India at the Olympics — Key Facts
Fact Detail Most successful sport Hockey (8 Gold medals: 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964, 1980) First individual gold Abhinav Bindra (Shooting, 2008 Beijing) Paris 2024 medals 6 medals (1 Silver, 5 Bronze) Tokyo 2020 medals 7 medals (1 Gold, 2 Silver, 4 Bronze) — best ever at a single Games
India’s Individual Olympic Gold Medallists
Athlete Sport Year Venue Abhinav Bindra Shooting (10m Air Rifle) 2008 Beijing Neeraj Chopra Athletics (Javelin Throw) 2020 (2021) Tokyo
India’s Olympic Medal Winners — Key Names
Athlete Medal Sport Year Norman Pritchard 2 Silver Athletics (200m, 200m hurdles) 1900 Leander Paes Bronze Tennis (singles) 1996 Karnam Malleswari Bronze Weightlifting 2000 Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore Silver Shooting (Double Trap) 2004 Sushil Kumar Bronze (2008), Silver (2012) Wrestling 2008, 2012 Mary Kom Bronze Boxing (51 kg) 2012 Saina Nehwal Bronze Badminton 2012 PV Sindhu Silver (2016), Bronze (2020) Badminton 2016, 2020 Mirabai Chanu Silver Weightlifting (49 kg) 2020 Lovlina Borgohain Bronze (2020), Bronze (2024) Boxing 2020, 2024 Neeraj Chopra Gold (2020), Silver (2024) Javelin 2020, 2024 Manu Bhaker 2 Bronze Shooting 2024 India Hockey Team (Men) Bronze Hockey 2020 India Hockey Team (Men) Bronze Hockey 2024
Note: India has won 8 Olympic Gold medals in Men’s Hockey (1928-1980), plus 1 silver and 2 bronze.
Fact Detail First edition 1930 (Uruguay — Uruguay won) Frequency Every 4 years Governing body FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association); HQ Zurich, Switzerland Trophy FIFA World Cup Trophy (since 1974; earlier was Jules Rimet Trophy) Most wins Brazil (5 times: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) Recent winners 2014 — Germany; 2018 — France; 2022 — Argentina 2022 venue Qatar (first Middle East host; first winter World Cup Nov-Dec) 2026 venue USA, Canada, Mexico (joint hosting; expanded to 48 teams)
FIFA World Cup Winners
Year Winner Runner-up Venue 1930 Uruguay Argentina Uruguay 1950 Uruguay Brazil Brazil 1958 Brazil Sweden Sweden 1966 England West Germany England 1970 Brazil Italy Mexico 1986 Argentina West Germany Mexico 1998 France Brazil France 2006 Italy France Germany 2010 Spain Netherlands South Africa 2014 Germany Argentina Brazil 2018 France Croatia Russia 2022 Argentina France Qatar
Cricket World Cup (ODI)
Fact Detail First edition 1975 (England — West Indies won) Frequency Every 4 years Governing body ICC (International Cricket Council); HQ Dubai Most wins Australia (6 times: 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, 2023) India wins 1983 (Kapil Dev, Lord’s), 2011 (MS Dhoni, Mumbai)
Cricket World Cup Winners
Year Winner Final Venue Captain 1975 West Indies Lord’s Clive Lloyd 1979 West Indies Lord’s Clive Lloyd 1983 India Lord’s Kapil Dev 1987 Australia Kolkata Allan Border 1992 Pakistan Melbourne Imran Khan 1996 Sri Lanka Lahore Arjuna Ranatunga 1999 Australia Lord’s Steve Waugh 2003 Australia Johannesburg Ricky Ponting 2007 Australia Bridgetown Ricky Ponting 2011 India Mumbai MS Dhoni 2015 Australia Melbourne Michael Clarke 2019 England Lord’s Eoin Morgan 2023 Australia Ahmedabad Pat Cummins
T20 World Cup Winners
Year Winner Venue 2007 India South Africa 2009 Pakistan England 2010 England West Indies 2012 West Indies Sri Lanka 2014 Sri Lanka Bangladesh 2016 West Indies India 2021 Australia UAE 2022 England Australia 2024 India USA/West Indies
Commonwealth Games
Fact Detail Previously called British Empire Games (1930-50), British Empire and Commonwealth Games (1954-66), British Commonwealth Games (1970-74) First edition 1930 (Hamilton, Canada) Frequency Every 4 years Governing body Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) India first participated 1934 (London) India hosted 2010 (New Delhi) India’s best performance 2010 New Delhi — 101 medals (38 Gold, 27 Silver, 36 Bronze); 2nd overall Last held 2022 (Birmingham, England) — India won 61 medals
India’s Top Medal Sports in CWG
Sport Strength Wrestling Consistently high medals Weightlifting Major medal contributor Boxing Mary Kom, Amit Panghal, Nikhat Zareen Shooting Historically strong (dropped from 2022 CWG) Badminton PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Lakshya Sen Table Tennis Growing medal tally
Asian Games
Fact Detail First edition 1951 (New Delhi, India) Frequency Every 4 years Governing body Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) India hosted 1951 (New Delhi) and 1982 (New Delhi) Mascot 1982 Appu (elephant) Most recent 2022 Hangzhou, China (held 2023 due to COVID delay) Next 2026 Aichi-Nagoya, Japan
India at Asian Games 2022 (Hangzhou)
India’s best-ever performance: 107 medals (28 Gold, 38 Silver, 41 Bronze)
National Games of India
Fact Detail Organised by Indian Olympic Association First edition 1924 (as Indian Olympic Games, Lahore) Named “National Games” From 1940 onwards 37th National Games 2023 (Goa) Mascot 2023 Moga (Black-faced Langur)
Important Trophies and Tournaments (India)
Trophy/Tournament Sport Ranji Trophy Cricket (domestic first-class) — started 1934 Duleep Trophy Cricket (zonal teams) Irani Trophy Cricket (Ranji champions vs Rest of India) Vijay Hazare Trophy Cricket (domestic ODI) Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Cricket (domestic T20) Santosh Trophy Football (state teams) Durand Cup Football (oldest football tournament in Asia, 1888) Beighton Cup Hockey Dhyan Chand Trophy Hockey Thomas Cup Badminton (men’s team) — India won 2022 Uber Cup Badminton (women’s team) Davis Cup Tennis (men’s team) Federation Cup Athletics
Famous Indian Sportspersons
Sportsperson Sport Achievement Sachin Tendulkar Cricket 100 international centuries; “God of Cricket”; Bharat Ratna (2014) Dhyan Chand Hockey 3 Olympic Golds (1928, 1932, 1936); National Sports Day = his birthday (29 August); Khel Ratna renamed to Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award Milkha Singh Athletics ”Flying Sikh”; 4th in 400m at 1960 Rome Olympics PT Usha Athletics ”Payyoli Express” (from Kerala); 4th in 400m hurdles at 1984 LA Olympics; IOA President (2022) PV Sindhu Badminton Olympic Silver (2016), Bronze (2020); World Champion (2019) Neeraj Chopra Javelin Olympic Gold (2020), Silver (2024); World Champion (2023) Mary Kom Boxing 6 World Championship Golds; Olympic Bronze (2012) Viswanathan Anand Chess 5-time World Chess Champion; India’s first Grandmaster MS Dhoni Cricket Captain — 2007 T20 WC, 2011 ODI WC, 2013 Champions Trophy Kapil Dev Cricket Captain — 1983 World Cup; 432 Test wickets
Sports Awards in India
Award Given For Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award Highest sporting honour (formerly Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, renamed 2021) Arjuna Award Outstanding performance in sports over 4 years Dronacharya Award Outstanding coaches Dhyan Chand Award Lifetime achievement in sports Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar Organisations promoting sports Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy University with best overall sports performance
Kerala Sports Facts
Fact Detail PT Usha From Payyoli, Kozhikode; “Queen of Indian Athletics” Jimmy George Volleyball legend from Kerala; first Indian volleyball player to play in European league Kerala Blasters FC ISL football team; home ground: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi GV Raja Sports School Thiruvananthapuram; premier sports training centre SAI (Sports Authority of India) centre Thiruvananthapuram National Games 2015 (35th) Held in Kerala K.M. Beenamol 800m runner; Asian Games double gold (2002) Anju Bobby George Long jump; World Championship bronze (2003, Paris)
Quick Revision — PSC Most Asked
Question Answer Modern Olympics founded by? Baron Pierre de Coubertin Olympic rings represent? Five continents India’s first individual Olympic gold? Abhinav Bindra (Shooting, 2008 Beijing) 2024 Olympics venue? Paris, France FIFA World Cup 2022 winner? Argentina Cricket World Cup 2023 winner? Australia India won Cricket WC in? 1983 and 2011 T20 World Cup 2024 winner? India First Asian Games? 1951, New Delhi Durand Cup is related to? Football Thomas Cup (Badminton) — India won? 2022 National Sports Day? 29 August (Dhyan Chand’s birthday) Khel Ratna renamed to? Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award (2021) PT Usha is from? Payyoli, Kozhikode, Kerala Sachin Tendulkar — Bharat Ratna year? 2014 Ranji Trophy started? 1934
Sports questions appear regularly in Kerala PSC exams (2-4 questions per paper). They cover Olympics, Cricket World Cups, FIFA, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and India’s achievements. This note provides comprehensive, exam-ready facts.
Olympic Games
Fact Detail Origin Ancient Olympics in Olympia, Greece (776 BC) Modern Olympics revived by Baron Pierre de Coubertin (France) First Modern Olympics Athens, Greece (1896) Motto ”Citius, Altius, Fortius — Communiter” (Faster, Higher, Stronger — Together; “Together” added in 2021) Symbol Five interlocked rings (blue, yellow, black, green, red) representing five continents Olympic flag designed 1913 by Pierre de Coubertin; first flown at 1920 Antwerp Olympics Frequency Every 4 years (Summer and Winter alternating every 2 years) Governing body International Olympic Committee (IOC); HQ in Lausanne, Switzerland India first participated 1900 Paris Olympics (Norman Pritchard — 2 silver medals in athletics) Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Founded 1927
Recent and Upcoming Olympic Host Cities
Year City Notable 2008 Beijing, China 2012 London, UK 2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2020 (held 2021) Tokyo, Japan Delayed due to COVID-19 2024 Paris, France 2028 Los Angeles, USA Upcoming 2032 Brisbane, Australia Upcoming
India at the Olympics — Key Facts
Fact Detail Most successful sport Hockey (8 Gold medals: 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964, 1980) First individual gold Abhinav Bindra (Shooting, 2008 Beijing) Paris 2024 medals 6 medals (1 Silver, 5 Bronze) Tokyo 2020 medals 7 medals (1 Gold, 2 Silver, 4 Bronze) — best ever at a single Games
India’s Individual Olympic Gold Medallists
Athlete Sport Year Venue Abhinav Bindra Shooting (10m Air Rifle) 2008 Beijing Neeraj Chopra Athletics (Javelin Throw) 2020 (2021) Tokyo
India’s Olympic Medal Winners — Key Names
Athlete Medal Sport Year Norman Pritchard 2 Silver Athletics (200m, 200m hurdles) 1900 Leander Paes Bronze Tennis (singles) 1996 Karnam Malleswari Bronze Weightlifting 2000 Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore Silver Shooting (Double Trap) 2004 Sushil Kumar Bronze (2008), Silver (2012) Wrestling 2008, 2012 Mary Kom Bronze Boxing (51 kg) 2012 Saina Nehwal Bronze Badminton 2012 PV Sindhu Silver (2016), Bronze (2020) Badminton 2016, 2020 Mirabai Chanu Silver Weightlifting (49 kg) 2020 Lovlina Borgohain Bronze (2020), Bronze (2024) Boxing 2020, 2024 Neeraj Chopra Gold (2020), Silver (2024) Javelin 2020, 2024 Manu Bhaker 2 Bronze Shooting 2024 India Hockey Team (Men) Bronze Hockey 2020 India Hockey Team (Men) Bronze Hockey 2024
Note: India has won 8 Olympic Gold medals in Men’s Hockey (1928-1980), plus 1 silver and 2 bronze.
Fact Detail First edition 1930 (Uruguay — Uruguay won) Frequency Every 4 years Governing body FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association); HQ Zurich, Switzerland Trophy FIFA World Cup Trophy (since 1974; earlier was Jules Rimet Trophy) Most wins Brazil (5 times: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) Recent winners 2014 — Germany; 2018 — France; 2022 — Argentina 2022 venue Qatar (first Middle East host; first winter World Cup Nov-Dec) 2026 venue USA, Canada, Mexico (joint hosting; expanded to 48 teams)
FIFA World Cup Winners
Year Winner Runner-up Venue 1930 Uruguay Argentina Uruguay 1950 Uruguay Brazil Brazil 1958 Brazil Sweden Sweden 1966 England West Germany England 1970 Brazil Italy Mexico 1986 Argentina West Germany Mexico 1998 France Brazil France 2006 Italy France Germany 2010 Spain Netherlands South Africa 2014 Germany Argentina Brazil 2018 France Croatia Russia 2022 Argentina France Qatar
Cricket World Cup (ODI)
Fact Detail First edition 1975 (England — West Indies won) Frequency Every 4 years Governing body ICC (International Cricket Council); HQ Dubai Most wins Australia (6 times: 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, 2023) India wins 1983 (Kapil Dev, Lord’s), 2011 (MS Dhoni, Mumbai)
Cricket World Cup Winners
Year Winner Final Venue Captain 1975 West Indies Lord’s Clive Lloyd 1979 West Indies Lord’s Clive Lloyd 1983 India Lord’s Kapil Dev 1987 Australia Kolkata Allan Border 1992 Pakistan Melbourne Imran Khan 1996 Sri Lanka Lahore Arjuna Ranatunga 1999 Australia Lord’s Steve Waugh 2003 Australia Johannesburg Ricky Ponting 2007 Australia Bridgetown Ricky Ponting 2011 India Mumbai MS Dhoni 2015 Australia Melbourne Michael Clarke 2019 England Lord’s Eoin Morgan 2023 Australia Ahmedabad Pat Cummins
T20 World Cup Winners
Year Winner Venue 2007 India South Africa 2009 Pakistan England 2010 England West Indies 2012 West Indies Sri Lanka 2014 Sri Lanka Bangladesh 2016 West Indies India 2021 Australia UAE 2022 England Australia 2024 India USA/West Indies
Commonwealth Games
Fact Detail Previously called British Empire Games (1930-50), British Empire and Commonwealth Games (1954-66), British Commonwealth Games (1970-74) First edition 1930 (Hamilton, Canada) Frequency Every 4 years Governing body Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) India first participated 1934 (London) India hosted 2010 (New Delhi) India’s best performance 2010 New Delhi — 101 medals (38 Gold, 27 Silver, 36 Bronze); 2nd overall Last held 2022 (Birmingham, England) — India won 61 medals
India’s Top Medal Sports in CWG
Sport Strength Wrestling Consistently high medals Weightlifting Major medal contributor Boxing Mary Kom, Amit Panghal, Nikhat Zareen Shooting Historically strong (dropped from 2022 CWG) Badminton PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Lakshya Sen Table Tennis Growing medal tally
Asian Games
Fact Detail First edition 1951 (New Delhi, India) Frequency Every 4 years Governing body Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) India hosted 1951 (New Delhi) and 1982 (New Delhi) Mascot 1982 Appu (elephant) Most recent 2022 Hangzhou, China (held 2023 due to COVID delay) Next 2026 Aichi-Nagoya, Japan
India at Asian Games 2022 (Hangzhou)
India’s best-ever performance: 107 medals (28 Gold, 38 Silver, 41 Bronze)
National Games of India
Fact Detail Organised by Indian Olympic Association First edition 1924 (as Indian Olympic Games, Lahore) Named “National Games” From 1940 onwards 37th National Games 2023 (Goa) Mascot 2023 Moga (Black-faced Langur)
Important Trophies and Tournaments (India)
Trophy/Tournament Sport Ranji Trophy Cricket (domestic first-class) — started 1934 Duleep Trophy Cricket (zonal teams) Irani Trophy Cricket (Ranji champions vs Rest of India) Vijay Hazare Trophy Cricket (domestic ODI) Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Cricket (domestic T20) Santosh Trophy Football (state teams) Durand Cup Football (oldest football tournament in Asia, 1888) Beighton Cup Hockey Dhyan Chand Trophy Hockey Thomas Cup Badminton (men’s team) — India won 2022 Uber Cup Badminton (women’s team) Davis Cup Tennis (men’s team) Federation Cup Athletics
Famous Indian Sportspersons
Sportsperson Sport Achievement Sachin Tendulkar Cricket 100 international centuries; “God of Cricket”; Bharat Ratna (2014) Dhyan Chand Hockey 3 Olympic Golds (1928, 1932, 1936); National Sports Day = his birthday (29 August); Khel Ratna renamed to Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award Milkha Singh Athletics ”Flying Sikh”; 4th in 400m at 1960 Rome Olympics PT Usha Athletics ”Payyoli Express” (from Kerala); 4th in 400m hurdles at 1984 LA Olympics; IOA President (2022) PV Sindhu Badminton Olympic Silver (2016), Bronze (2020); World Champion (2019) Neeraj Chopra Javelin Olympic Gold (2020), Silver (2024); World Champion (2023) Mary Kom Boxing 6 World Championship Golds; Olympic Bronze (2012) Viswanathan Anand Chess 5-time World Chess Champion; India’s first Grandmaster MS Dhoni Cricket Captain — 2007 T20 WC, 2011 ODI WC, 2013 Champions Trophy Kapil Dev Cricket Captain — 1983 World Cup; 432 Test wickets
Sports Awards in India
Award Given For Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award Highest sporting honour (formerly Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, renamed 2021) Arjuna Award Outstanding performance in sports over 4 years Dronacharya Award Outstanding coaches Dhyan Chand Award Lifetime achievement in sports Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar Organisations promoting sports Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy University with best overall sports performance
Kerala Sports Facts
Fact Detail PT Usha From Payyoli, Kozhikode; “Queen of Indian Athletics” Jimmy George Volleyball legend from Kerala; first Indian volleyball player to play in European league Kerala Blasters FC ISL football team; home ground: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi GV Raja Sports School Thiruvananthapuram; premier sports training centre SAI (Sports Authority of India) centre Thiruvananthapuram National Games 2015 (35th) Held in Kerala K.M. Beenamol 800m runner; Asian Games double gold (2002) Anju Bobby George Long jump; World Championship bronze (2003, Paris)
Quick Revision — PSC Most Asked
Question Answer Modern Olympics founded by? Baron Pierre de Coubertin Olympic rings represent? Five continents India’s first individual Olympic gold? Abhinav Bindra (Shooting, 2008 Beijing) 2024 Olympics venue? Paris, France FIFA World Cup 2022 winner? Argentina Cricket World Cup 2023 winner? Australia India won Cricket WC in? 1983 and 2011 T20 World Cup 2024 winner? India First Asian Games? 1951, New Delhi Durand Cup is related to? Football Thomas Cup (Badminton) — India won? 2022 National Sports Day? 29 August (Dhyan Chand’s birthday) Khel Ratna renamed to? Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award (2021) PT Usha is from? Payyoli, Kozhikode, Kerala Sachin Tendulkar — Bharat Ratna year? 2014 Ranji Trophy started? 1934
