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Question 322 of 325 · Sports
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The national sport of Sri Lanka is:

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Answer: Option D — Volleyball

Detailed Solution

Volleyball was declared the national sport of Sri Lanka in 1991.

About volleyball in Sri Lanka:

  • It was introduced to Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) in 1916 by the YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association).
  • The "Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation" was formed in 1951.
  • It is widely played in schools, villages and by the armed forces, because it needs little equipment and space.
  • It was declared the national sport in 1991 by the government.
  • Interestingly, although volleyball is the national sport, cricket is by far the most popular sport in Sri Lanka.

Cricket in Sri Lanka:

  • Sri Lanka won the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1996 under Arjuna Ranatunga, beating Australia in the final at Lahore.
  • It won the ICC World Twenty20 in 2014.
  • Famous Sri Lankan cricketers include Muttiah Muralitharan (the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, with 800 wickets), Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Sanath Jayasuriya.

About volleyball:

It was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan, a physical education instructor at the YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA. He originally called it "Mintonette".

It became an Olympic sport at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Beach volleyball was added in 1996.

Its international governing body is the FIVB (Federation Internationale de Volleyball), founded in 1947, with headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

A team has six players on the court.

Volleyball in India:

  • The Volleyball Federation of India was founded in 1951.
  • India won a silver medal in volleyball at the 1962 Asian Games and bronze in 1958 and 1986.
  • Volleyball is popular in Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Haryana.
  • The "Prime Volleyball League" (2022) is India's professional volleyball league.

National sports of some other countries:

  • Nepal: Volleyball (declared in 2017).
  • Bangladesh: Kabaddi.
  • Bhutan: Archery.
  • Afghanistan: Buzkashi.
  • Canada: Ice hockey (winter) and lacrosse (summer).
  • China: Table tennis (popularly regarded).
  • Japan: Sumo wrestling.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Cricket is the most popular sport in Sri Lanka, but not its national sport.
  • ✗Rugby is popular in some Sri Lankan schools but is not the national sport.
  • ✗Kabaddi is the national sport of Bangladesh.

Quick tip

Remember: Sri Lanka national sport = Volleyball (declared 1991; introduced by the YMCA in 1916); Nepal also chose volleyball (2017); volleyball invented 1895 by William G. Morgan; Sri Lanka won the Cricket World Cup in 1996.

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Sports — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Sports, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers sports GK: major tournaments and their venues, trophies and cups associated with each sport, sports terms, the number of players in a team, sports awards in India, Olympic and Asian Games facts, and famous sportspersons and their achievements. Common questions ask which sport a trophy belongs to (such as the Durand Cup for football or the Ranji Trophy for cricket), which term is used in which sport, and where a tournament was held. Records and results change after every season, so pair static facts such as team sizes and terms with recent results from current affairs. Practise the sports questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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