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Question 41 of 325 · Sports
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Which is the oldest hockey tournament in India?

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Answer: Option D — Beighton Cup

Detailed Solution

The Beighton Cup is the oldest hockey tournament in India and one of the oldest in the world. It was started in 1895 in Calcutta (Kolkata) and is organised by the Hockey Bengal association (formerly the Bengal Hockey Association). It was named after T. A. Beighton, a British official who donated the trophy.

Key facts:

  • Its first edition in 1895 was won by Naval Volunteers, and in its early years the teams were mostly British.
  • It later became one of the most prestigious club tournaments in India, attracting top teams from Punjab, the armed forces, the railways and Kolkata clubs.
  • Famous winners include Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Indian Railways, Punjab Police and Army teams.

Other old hockey tournaments in India:

  • Aga Khan Cup (Bombay, 1896): the second-oldest, named after the Aga Khan.
  • Obaidullah Khan Gold Cup (Bhopal, 1931): named after Nawab Obaidullah Khan of Bhopal.
  • Nehru Cup (Delhi, 1964): a major all-India tournament.

Hockey history in India:

  • The first hockey club in India was formed in Calcutta in 1885-86.
  • The Bengal Hockey Association, formed in 1908, was the first hockey association in India.
  • The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) was formed in 1925 and joined the International Hockey Federation (FIH) in 1927.
  • Hockey India replaced the IHF as the national body in 2009.
  • India won its first Olympic hockey gold at Amsterdam in 1928 and eight Olympic golds in total.
  • Hockey India League (HIL): a professional franchise league, started in 2013 and revived in 2024-25 with a women's league.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Aga Khan Cup began in 1896, a year after the Beighton Cup.
  • ✗Nehru Cup began in 1964.
  • ✗Obaidullah Khan Cup began in 1931.

Quick tip

Remember: Oldest hockey tournament in India = Beighton Cup (Calcutta, 1895); second = Aga Khan Cup (Bombay, 1896); first hockey association = Bengal Hockey Association (1908); IHF = 1925.

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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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