Eiffel Tower workers, 22 Englishmen, a bicycle Velodrome: Revisiting cricket at 1900 Olympics

Cricket's reintroduction to the Summer Olympics Program in Los Angeles 2028 marks a significant return to the world's biggest sporting spectacle, promising a more organized and widespread presence than its quirky 1900 appearance in Paris.

Sunita Iyer

First Published Oct 16, 2023, 6:01 PM IST | Last Updated Oct 16, 2023, 6:01 PM IST

Cricket's association with the Olympics dates back to the 1900 edition of the games in Paris, making for an unusual yet interesting historical chapter in both the sport's and the Olympics' history. At that time, the French cricket team that played against Great Britain in the gold medal match consisted of players who were working as manual laborers on the construction of the Eiffel Tower.

Also read: Cricket's inclusion in LA 2028 Olympics: A game-changer for the sport and business

In the 1900 Olympics, cricket was limited to a single match that spanned two days and saw a cumulative score of just 366 runs across four innings. This short-lived cricket event was held at the Vélodrome de Vincennes, a cycling track with comically short square boundaries, less than 30 meters from the pitch's center.

There were only about 20 spectators during the two-day match, which involved weekend cricketers from the French Athletic Club Union, a team primarily comprised of British expatriates who were working on the Eiffel Tower construction.

The British team, known as the Devon Wanderers, clinched the gold medal by defeating France, while the French team received the silver medal. Notably, the French side was all out for just 26 runs while chasing 184, with no player reaching double figures.

Cricket's history at the Olympics remained obscure for many years, and it was only in 1912 that it was considered eligible as an official medal event for the 1900 edition. The medals awarded to the players were not upgraded despite this decision.

The match was a 12-a-side contest, with the peculiar fact that 22 out of the 24 players were Englishmen. Cricket was a predominantly English sport during that period, and it was the Devon Wanderers, a club formed by 12 recreational cricketers, who represented Great Britain in the tournament. Their opponents in the final consisted of 10 Englishmen and two local French players, making it quite an unusual face-off.

Great Britain's Montagu Toller, who later became a notable first-class cricketer, took seven wickets for just nine runs in that match. Another first-class cricketer in the final was Alfred Bowerman.

Baron Pierre de Coubertin, often regarded as the father of the modern Olympics, had attempted to include cricket as part of the 1896 Games but faced difficulties. It was finally introduced to the Olympics in 1900, which were more of a World Trade Fair than the Olympics, spanning a whopping six months from May to October. Countries saw it as an opportunity to showcase themselves to the world.

The cricket competition in the 1900 Olympics had its own unique challenges, with the Netherlands and Belgium initially set to take part but withdrawing after their proposal to co-host the event was rejected.

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