Cricket at the 1900 Summer Olympics
The only Olympic cricket match until 2028.
Cricket at the 1900 Summer Olympics was a single match played on 19–20 August at the Vélodrome de Vincennes between teams representing Great Britain and France. It was the only cricket match in Olympic history until the sport's return in 2028. The match is notable because the French team included ten British nationals and only two Frenchmen, making it effectively a mixed team, though the IOC lists it as representing France.
Quick Facts
- Event
- Men's cricket
- Games
- 1900 Summer
- Venue
- Vélodrome de Vincennes
- Date
- 19–20 August
- Competitors
- 24
- Nations
- 2
- Longnames
- yes
- Goldnoc
- GBR
- Gold
- Devon and Somerset Wanderers
- Silvernoc
- FRA
- Silver
- French Athletic Club Union
- Next
- 2028
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Originally four teams entered—Belgium, France, Great Britain, and the Netherlands—but Belgium and the Netherlands withdrew before the draw, leaving only Great Britain and France. The semi-finals were scratched, and the final was played on the originally scheduled dates. Neither team was nationally selected: Great Britain was represented by the Devon and Somerset Wanderers, a touring club, while France's team was drawn from the Union Club and the Standard Athletic Club, composed mainly of British expatriates living in Paris. The match was 12-a-side by mutual agreement, and the scorecard printers had to add extra names by hand. Prizes varied by event, and contrary to some claims, there is no reliable evidence that both teams received miniature statues of the Eiffel Tower.
Reader's Guide
The 1900 cricket match is historically significant as the only Olympic cricket competition until the 2028 Games. It highlights the early, haphazard nature of the modern Olympics, where events were often tied to world's fairs and participation was sparse. The match itself was not recognized as Olympic by the participants—it was advertised as part of the Exposition Universelle. The IOC has never officially decided which 1900 events were Olympic, but the medals were later upgraded: Great Britain received gold, France silver. The match lacked first-class status due to being 12-a-side and two days, yet it remains the sole international cricket match of 1900. Its legacy is a footnote in Olympic history, illustrating how cricket's inclusion was tentative and would not be repeated for over a century.
The 1900 Paris Event and Its Anachronistic Origins
Cricket's sole appearance in the Olympic Games remains one of the sport's most curious footnotes. At the 1900 Paris Olympics, four nations initially entered—Great Britain (listed as England on promotional posters and fielded by the Devon & Somerset Wanderers), France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. In the end, only two sides actually took the field. The single two-day match between Great Britain and France saw the British side prevail, yet neither set of players understood they were competing in an Olympic event. The episode was not formally recognized as part of the Games until 1912, more than a decade after the fact. This awkward origin was preceded by an even earlier attempt: cricket had been slated as a medal sport at the inaugural 1896 Athens Olympics, but insufficient entries caused the event to be quietly dropped. A similar fate befell the 1904 Summer Olympics, where cricket was on the program before being cancelled just before the opening ceremony. For over a century, the sport disappeared entirely from the Olympic calendar.
The Long Road to Olympic Return
For more than a hundred years, cricket's absence from the Olympic program seemed permanent, and major governing bodies actively resisted any change. Both the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the England and Wales Cricket Board opposed Olympic inclusion for years. The tide began to turn in 2015, when the ECB dropped its opposition. By March 2017, ICC chief Dave Richardson publicly declared the moment right for Olympic cricket, and media reports indicated the BCCI's resistance had also softened. In 2020, after receiving clarifications from the IOC, the BCCI formally backed the ICC's bid for T20I cricket at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. That same year, USA Cricket identified Olympic inclusion as a strategic goal, and in August 2021 the ICC confirmed its intention to bid. The process culminated in October 2023: on the 9th, the Los Angeles organizing committee listed cricket among its proposed new sports; on the 13th, the IOC accepted the bid for a vote; and on the 16th, at the 141st IOC Session held in Mumbai, cricket was officially confirmed for the 2028 program.
Competition Format and Broadcast Design
The 2028 Olympic cricket tournament will be contested in the Twenty20 International format, a choice confirmed by the IOC in April 2025. Both the men's and women's competitions will feature six teams each, with a maximum squad size of fifteen players per nation, reflecting an allocation of ninety athletes per gender. The competition structure unfolds in two distinct phases. In the first phase, the six teams are divided into two groups of three. The second phase then pits teams against opponents from the opposite group who finished in the same standing. Results from these four cross-group matches feed into a final standings table. The top two teams advance to the gold medal match, while the third- and fourth-placed sides compete for bronze. The women's tournament runs from 12 to 20 July, and the men's from 22 to 29 July, with matches scheduled at 9:00 and 18:30 Pacific Daylight Time to accommodate Indian prime-time and morning broadcast windows. Both competitions are embedded in the ICC's Future Tours Programmes.
Qualification and the Great Britain Question
Qualifying for the 2028 Olympic cricket event presents unique administrative challenges rooted in cricket's governance structure. Of the twelve ICC full members, three—England, Ireland, and the West Indies—do not map neatly onto National Olympic Committees, with the West Indies representing players from multiple Caribbean nations. In April 2025, the ECB and Cricket Scotland announced discussions to assemble a unified Great Britain Olympic side. The ICC's qualification framework, announced in June 2026, designates the top-ranked team from each of Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania for direct entry, based on T20I rankings as of 31 December 2026 and the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup. The United States, as host, earns a quota place if its men's or women's team ranks in the top fifteen during the qualification window. Remaining spots are contested in Global Qualifier tournaments in 2027. Should the West Indies qualify, a preliminary Caribbean Qualifier will determine which nation fields the team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who played in the 1900 Olympic cricket match and what was the result?
Great Britain, fielding the Devon and Somerset Wanderers, faced France, represented by the French Athletic Club Union, in a two-day, 12-a-side contest. Great Britain won convincingly by 158 runs.
Why is the French team in the 1900 Olympic cricket match considered unusual?
Although the IOC credits the side as representing France, ten of its twelve players were actually British nationals, with only two genuine Frenchmen on the roster. This makes the fixture effectively a mixed team rather than a true international contest.
When did cricket appear at the Summer Olympics?
The 1900 Paris Games featured the sole Olympic cricket match in history, played on 19–20 August at the Vélodrome de Vincennes. The sport did not return to the Olympic program until 2028.
Was the 1900 Olympic cricket match considered a first-class or official international fixture?
No; the match is not classified as first-class cricket and is not recognized by the ICC as a full international. It remains, however, the only international cricket game recorded in 1900.
Why do cricket fans still talk about the 1900 Olympic match?
Because it was the only time cricket was contested at the Olympics for nearly 128 years, it holds a unique place in both Olympic and cricket history. Its odd team composition and the long gap before the sport's 2028 return keep it a frequent talking point among enthusiasts.
More in Sports at the Summer Olympics 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced