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SSC CGL Sports & Games

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This page covers SSC CGL Sports & Games with complete concept notes, 20 graded practice MCQs, key points and exam-specific tips. Free to study.

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Concept Notes

Sports & Games— Rules & Concept

Core ConceptRead this first — the foundation of the topic

SPORTS & GAMES — STATIC GK FOR SSC CGL --- CORE CONCEPT ---

Sports & Games Static GK covers the facts that do NOT change over time. These include: number of players in a team, dimensions of playing fields, origin country of a sport, sports equipment, trophies & cups, governing bodies, and important terminology. SSC CGL asks 2-4 questions from this area in almost every paper. These are pure memory-based questions — no calculation needed. --- KEY RULES / PROPERTIES ---

1. TEAM SPORTS — PLAYER COUNT (Most Tested) Cricket = 11 players

Football (Soccer) = 11 players Hockey = 11 players

Basketball = 5 players Volleyball = 6 players

Polo = 4 players Water Polo = 7 players

Kabaddi = 7 players Kho-Kho = 9 players

Baseball = 9 players Netball = 7 players

Rugby Union = 15 players Bridge (Card Game) = 4 players

2. ORIGIN COUNTRY OF SPORTS Cricket → England

Football → England Hockey → England (modern form); India dominated Olympics

Badminton → England (Badminton House, Gloucestershire) Table Tennis → England

Polo → Manipur, India (ancient origin) Kabaddi → India

Chess → India Snooker → India (by British Army officers)

Lawn Tennis → England Basketball → USA (invented by Dr. James Naismith in 1891)

Volleyball → USA (invented by William G. Morgan in 1895) 3. PLAYING SURFACE / EQUIPMENT

Cricket pitch length = 22 yards (one chain) Football ground = 100-110 metres long, 64-75 metres wide

Badminton court = 13.4 metres long, 6.1 metres wide (doubles) Table Tennis table = 2.74 m long, 1.525 m wide, 76 cm high

Basketball court = 28 m long, 15 m wide Tennis court net height = 0.914 m at centre

4. IMPORTANT TROPHIES & CUPS Football: FIFA World Cup, Durand Cup (oldest football tournament in India, 1888), Santosh Trophy (National Football Championship)

Cricket: ICC Cricket World Cup, Ranji Trophy (domestic), Duleep Trophy, Irani Trophy Hockey: Dhyan Chand Trophy, Agha Khan Cup

Tennis: Davis Cup (men's), Fed Cup/Billie Jean King Cup (women's) Badminton: Thomas Cup (men's), Uber Cup (women's), Sudirman Cup (mixed)

Football in India: Nehru Cup, Federation Cup 5. GOVERNING BODIES

Cricket → ICC (International Cricket Council); BCCI in India Football → FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association)

Hockey → FIH (Federation of International Hockey) Badminton → BWF (Badminton World Federation)

Tennis → ITF (International Tennis Federation) Athletics → World Athletics (formerly IAAF)

Olympics → IOC (International Olympic Committee) ---

Exam PatternsWhat examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs

--- SSC CGL asks: - "How many players in [sport]?" - "Which cup/trophy is associated with [sport]?" - "Where did [sport] originate?" - "Which governing body controls [sport]?" - "What is the length/dimension of [playing field]?" --- SHORTCUT / TRICK --- TRICK 1 — The 11-11-11 Rule: Cricket, Football, Hockey all have 11 players. Students often confuse these with others. Remember: '3 British sports = 11 each.' TRICK 2 — USA invented 2 sports with 'ball' in same decade: Basketball (1891) and Volleyball (1895). Both invented in USA.

Gap = 4 years. Both end in 'ball.' Easy to remember. TRICK 3 — Thomas & Uber Cup Formula: Thomas Cup = T = Team Men (Badminton Men's Team World Championship) Uber Cup = U = Uber (women, the 'other' one) = Women's Badminton Team Championship Sudirman Cup = Mixed Team ---

Worked ExampleSolve this step-by-step before moving on
1
Step 1

Think — which sports have 'Cup' tournaments in India?

2
Step 2

Durand Cup is one of the oldest football tournaments in Asia, first held in 1888 in Shimla.

3
Step 3

It is associated with FOOTBALL. Answer: Football --- WORKED EXAMPLE 2 --- Question: Basketball was invented by whom and in which year?

1
Step 1

Recall USA invented Basketball.

2
Step 2

Inventor = Dr. James Naismith (a Canadian-American physical education instructor).

3
Step 3

Year = 1891, in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. Answer: Dr. James Naismith, 1891 ---

Exam TrapsCommon mistakes students make — avoid these

(TRAP) --- THE #1 TRAP: Students confuse 'Polo' origin. Many think Polo is from England or Arabia. But POLO originated in Manipur, India (ancient version called 'Sagol Kangjei').

The British learned it from India and spread it globally. SSC has asked this multiple times. NEVER mark England for Polo's origin.

Key Points to Remember

  • Cricket, Football, and Hockey all have 11 players per team — the '3 British Sports = 11 each' rule.
  • Basketball invented by Dr. James Naismith in USA in 1891; Volleyball by William G. Morgan in USA in 1895.
  • Polo originated in Manipur, India — NOT England. This is the #1 trap in SSC exams.
  • Chess originated in India (ancient game 'Chaturanga'); Kabaddi also originated in India.
  • Thomas Cup = Men's Badminton Team; Uber Cup = Women's Badminton Team; Sudirman Cup = Mixed Team.
  • Durand Cup (1888) is India's oldest football tournament — associated with Football, not Hockey.
  • SHORTCUT: Polo = 4 players; Kabaddi = 7; Kho-Kho = 9; Volleyball = 6; Basketball = 5.
  • Cricket pitch length = 22 yards (one chain); Table Tennis table height = 76 cm.
  • FIFA controls Football; FIH controls Hockey; BWF controls Badminton; ICC controls Cricket globally.
  • SHORTCUT: Snooker was invented in India by British Army officers stationed in Jabalpur in 1875.

Exam-Specific Tips

  • Durand Cup (1888) is the oldest football tournament in India and one of the oldest in Asia — associated with Football.
  • Basketball was invented by Dr. James Naismith in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA.
  • Volleyball was invented by William G. Morgan in 1895 in Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA.
  • Polo originated in Manipur, India — the ancient local form is called 'Sagol Kangjei'.
  • Badminton gets its name from Badminton House in Gloucestershire, England — where it was first played in 1873.
  • Snooker was invented in Jabalpur, India in 1875 by British Army officer Sir Neville Chamberlain.
  • The Thomas Cup is the men's team badminton world championship; the Uber Cup is for women's teams.
  • A cricket pitch is exactly 22 yards (approximately 20.12 metres) long — also called 'one chain'.
Practice MCQs

Sports & Games — Practice Questions

20graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis

All MCQs →
Practice 1easy

Which Indian athlete won the gold medal in the long jump at the 2016 Rio Olympics?

Practice 2easy

Which Indian sportsperson won the gold medal in badminton at the 2016 Rio Olympics?

Practice 3easy

The Santosh Trophy is associated with which sport in India?

Practice 4easy

The Durand Cup, one of the oldest football tournaments in Asia, is associated with which country?

Practice 5easy

Which state in India has won the Santosh Trophy (National Football Championship) the maximum number of times?

Practice 6easy

The Durand Cup is associated with which sport?

Practice 7easy

Which Indian sportsperson won the Bharat Ratna award in 2021?

Practice 8medium

Which Indian athlete won the gold medal in the women's javelin throw at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 (held in 2021)?

Practice 9medium

India hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2010. In which city was this event held?

Practice 10medium

The Durand Cup is the oldest football tournament in Asia. In which year was it first held?

Practice 11medium

Which Indian sportsperson won the Bharat Ratna in 2021, becoming the first athlete to receive this honour?

Practice 12medium

The Durand Cup is associated with which sport in India?

Practice 13hard

The Durand Cup, one of the oldest football tournaments in Asia, is held in which country and is associated with which sport?

Practice 14hard

Which cricketer received the Bharat Ratna award in 2021, becoming the first sportsperson to receive this honor?

Practice 15hard

In which year did India host the Asian Games, and how many medals did India win in that edition?

Practice 16hard

Which Indian athlete won the gold medal in the men's javelin throw at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, setting a new national record?

Practice 17hard

Which Indian sportsperson won the gold medal in the men's 400m hurdles at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?

Practice 18hard

Which Indian athlete won the gold medal in the men's 400m hurdles at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?

Practice 19hard

Which Indian state has won the Santosh Trophy (National Football Championship) the maximum number of times as of 2024?

Practice 20hard

Who was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2021, becoming the first sportsperson to receive this honour posthumously?

60-Second Revision — Sports & Games

  • Remember: Cricket = 11, Football = 11, Hockey = 11 (British trio). Polo = 4, Basketball = 5, Volleyball = 6, Kabaddi = 7, Kho-Kho = 9.
  • Remember: Basketball (1891) and Volleyball (1895) — both invented in USA, 4 years apart.
  • Trap: Polo origin = INDIA (Manipur), NOT England. This has appeared in SSC CGL multiple times.
  • Formula: Thomas Cup = Men's Badminton | Uber Cup = Women's Badminton | Sudirman Cup = Mixed Badminton.
  • Remember: Durand Cup = Football (oldest in India, 1888). Ranji Trophy = Domestic Cricket. Santosh Trophy = National Football.
  • Remember: Chess & Kabaddi = India; Badminton, Cricket, Hockey, Tennis, Table Tennis = England; Basketball & Volleyball = USA.
  • Trap: Snooker was invented in INDIA (Jabalpur, 1875), not in England — though it is popular in England.
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