Cricket Was Once an Olympic Sport

Cricket's lone appearance at the Olympic Games occurred during the 1900 Paris Games, an event that was part of the much larger Exposition Universelle, or World's Fair. The cricket tournament originally had four entrants, but after Belgium and the Netherlands withdrew, only Great Britain and the host nation, France, remained. The British team was a touring club, the Devon and Somerset Wanderers, not a national team. The French team was largely composed of British expatriates living in Paris.

The match itself was a two-day affair played with twelve players per side, deviating from the standard eleven. Great Britain scored 117 in their first innings and bowled France out for 78. In their second innings, Great Britain declared at 145 for 5, setting France a target of 185 to win. The French side was dismissed for just 26 runs, giving Great Britain a 158-run victory with only five minutes remaining in the match.

Interestingly, the players were not aware at the time that they were competing in the Olympic Games. The event was officially recognized as an Olympic contest in 1912, and the initial silver and bronze medals awarded to Great Britain and France, respectively, were upgraded to gold and silver. Along with their medals, the players also received miniature replicas of the Eiffel Tower. Cricket was scheduled for the 1904 St. Louis Olympics, but a lack of entries led to its cancellation, and the sport will only make its return at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.