Olympics 2024: Cricket in Olympics; What Happened in the Solitary appearance of Cricket in Paris?

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The Olympics 2024 is set to commence on Friday (July 26), but some of the events will start from Wednesday (July 24).

The quadrennial event is taking place in Paris this year which will see 10,500 athletes participate across the fortnight for the prestigious glory. Amid the plethora of sports that are going to be played, cricket is still missing from this year's itinerary.

Although cricket is set to be played in 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the sport which has a soulful connection with India is yet to be played but once in the Olympics. In the year 1900, cricket was played in the Summer Olympics, its solitary appearance in the games. And incidentally, it took place in Paris.

When was Cricket played in the Olympics?

A cricket match was held during the 1900 Summer Olympics between Great Britain and France. The game took place on 19-20 August at the Velodrome de Vincennes in Paris.

Which Teams participated in Cricket?

The match was between Great Britain and France, but the latter was considered as a mixed team. Belgium and Netherlands were also set to take part but they withdrew in the final hours.

The French team had ten British nationals, two of whom were born in France, and two Frenchmen. This made it a mixed team. As a result, Great Britain faced France in a single match. The British side was represented by the Devon and Somerset Wanderers, a touring club. The French team was mainly composed of British expatriates living in Paris from the French Athletic Club Union.

Who won the Olympics Cricket Match?

The two-day match started on 19 August 1900. Great Britain batted first and scored 117 runs. They then bowled out France for 78 runs. In their second innings, Great Britain declared after scoring 145 for 5, setting a target of 185 for France to win.

France struggled in their second innings and were bowled out for just 26 runs. This gave Great Britain a victory by 158 runs. The British team received silver medals while the French team got bronze medals along with miniature Eiffel Tower statues.

Who were the Best performers?

Great Britain's Charles Beachcroft and Alfred Bowerman scored 54 and 59 respectively in the 2nd innings. With the ball, Britain's Frederick Christian got 7 wickets in the first innings, while Montagu Teller got a 7-wicket haul in the 2nd innings.

Olympics Cricket Unique Facts

• The cricket tournament was part of the somewhat disorganised 1900 Olympics. Events occurred over six months as part of the Exposition Universelle, a world's fair held in Paris.
• Neither team was nationally selected or representative. The Devon and Somerset Wanderers were simply a touring club side, while the French team consisted of players from two clubs with strong English influences.
• The match was initially intended to be an eleven-a-side contest but was increased to twelve-a-side by mutual agreement.
• Neither team knew they were playing in an Olympics match as they were told of about a World's Fair match.
• Great Britain's Silver was upgraded to a gold medal, while France's mixed team received silver medal later.