Thematic CA

Durable Sports, Awards and Honours

Sports and their trophies, terms and governing bodies; India's civilian honours and gallantry awards in order (with the police and CAPF medals); the national sports awards and the literary and science honours, as durable current-affairs facts for CAPF

CAPF wiki5 min read13 sections
At a glance
PaperPaper ISubjectCurrent EventsSyllabusCurrent Events of National and International Importance: culture, music, arts, literature, sportsImportanceHigh
SportsTrophiesAwardsGallantry AwardsParam Vir ChakraAshoka ChakraPadma AwardsKhel Ratna

Quick anchor

This is the static-GK heart of the current-events clause. The durable facts (which trophy goes with which sport, the order of the civilian honours, which gallantry award is the highest in war and in peace, which medal CAPF and police personnel receive) do not move with the news cycle; the dated layer is this year's winners and hosts, which are verified separately. This note carries the durable spine, with a deliberate focus on the gallantry-award ordering that CAPF tests and the police and CAPF medals that the sibling note does not detail. It complements sports awards and culture static. Sources: PIB, the Ministry of Home Affairs gazette notifications for gallantry medals, and the relevant ministries and federations.

Sports: trophies, terms and governing bodies

Sport Trophies / tournaments Governing body
Cricket World Cup; Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Irani Cup (domestic) ICC (international), BCCI (India)
Football FIFA World Cup; Santosh Trophy, Durand Cup (India) FIFA
Hockey World Cup, Olympic hockey FIH
Badminton Thomas Cup (men's team), Uber Cup (women's team), Sudirman Cup (mixed team) BWF
Tennis The four Grand Slams; Davis Cup (men), Billie Jean King Cup (women) ITF
Table tennis Swaythling Cup (men), Corbillon Cup (women) ITTF
Chess World Chess Championship, Chess Olympiad FIDE
Basketball FIBA World Cup FIBA
Golf The Majors; Ryder Cup governing tours

Multi-sport events

Event Note
Olympic Games Every four years; the International Olympic Committee (Lausanne)
Asian Games The Olympic Council of Asia
Commonwealth Games Among Commonwealth nations
Paralympic Games Athletes with disabilities

Verify the latest hosts and India's medal tally as dated items.

India's national sports awards

Award What it recognises
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award The highest sporting honour in India, for the most spectacular and outstanding performance (renamed from the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2021)
Arjuna Award Consistent outstanding performance over years
Dronacharya Award Outstanding coaches
Dhyan Chand Award Lifetime contribution to sport
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar Promotion and development of sport by institutions

The Khel Ratna is named after the hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand. Verify each year's recipients.

India's civilian honours (order of precedence)

Award Rank / basis
Bharat Ratna The highest civilian award; exceptional service of the highest order
Padma Vibhushan Second; exceptional and distinguished service
Padma Bhushan Distinguished service of a high order
Padma Shri Distinguished service

The Padma awards are announced around Republic Day (26 January). The Bharat Ratna can be conferred posthumously and is not strictly limited to citizens.

India's gallantry awards (the CAPF-critical ordering)

India has two sets of gallantry awards: wartime and peacetime. The CAPF and police angle is that personnel acting away from the battlefield receive the peacetime series.

Wartime gallantry awards (in order)

Award Rank
Param Vir Chakra (PVC) The highest wartime gallantry award
Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) Second
Vir Chakra Third

Peacetime gallantry awards (in order)

Award Rank
Ashoka Chakra The highest peacetime gallantry award (the one CAPF and police personnel most often receive)
Kirti Chakra Second
Shaurya Chakra Third

The clean CAPF distinction: the Param Vir Chakra is the highest gallantry award in war, while the Ashoka Chakra is the highest in peacetime, and it is the peacetime series that recognises CAPF, police and counter-insurgency bravery away from a declared war. The Ashoka Chakra is also the wheel at the centre of the national flag, a separate fact candidates conflate.

Police and CAPF service medals (often missed)

Medal Note
President's Police Medal for Gallantry / Police Medal for Gallantry Awarded for conspicuous gallantry by police and CAPF personnel
President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service Long, meritorious service
Police Medal for Meritorious Service Resourcefulness and devotion to duty
Internal Security Medal, Sangram and Hard Area medals Service in operations and difficult postings

These are announced around Independence Day and Republic Day; the lists are dated, so verify the latest.

Literary, science and other honours

Honour Field
Jnanpith Award India's highest literary honour
Sahitya Akademi Award Literary excellence in recognised languages
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize Indian science and technology (for researchers up to a certain age)
Nobel Prizes Peace (Oslo), the others (Stockholm); verify the latest laureates
Ramon Magsaysay Award Asia's "Nobel"; public service
Dadasaheb Phalke Award The highest in Indian cinema

CAPF traps and reminders

  • The Param Vir Chakra is the highest in war; the Ashoka Chakra is the highest in peace; the Ashoka Chakra is the one for CAPF and police gallantry.
  • The Khel Ratna is the highest sporting award (named after Dhyan Chand); the Arjuna is for sustained performance and the Dronacharya is for coaches.
  • Thomas Cup is men's team badminton; Uber Cup is women's team; Sudirman Cup is mixed; candidates swap these.
  • All winners, hosts and medal lists are dated; verify the latest.

Authored practice

  1. Which is the highest peacetime gallantry award, and which personnel most often receive it? (Authored practice, not a verbatim PYQ.) Answer: the Ashoka Chakra; CAPF and police personnel (and others) for gallantry away from the battlefield.
  2. The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is given in which field? (Authored practice, not a verbatim PYQ.) Answer: sport (it is India's highest sporting honour).
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