Polo at the 1900 Summer Olympics

Polo tournament at the 1900 Olympic Games
Polo at the Olympics

Men's polo
at the Games of the II Olympiad
Polo pictogram
VenueBois de Boulogne
Dates28 May – 2 June 1900
Competitors19 from 4 nations
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Foxhunters Hurlingham
 Mixed team
2nd place, silver medalist(s) BLO Polo Club Rugby
 Mixed team
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Bagatelle Polo Club de Paris
 Mixed team
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Mexico National Polo Team
 Mixed team
1908 →

At the 1900 Summer Olympics, a polo tournament was contested. Matches were held on 28 May, 31 May, and 2 June. Five teams competed. Four of these teams were of mixed nationality, with British and French athletes competing on three teams. There was no playoff for third place.

Background

The "Olympic" polo tournament, or the "Grand Prix International d'Exposition", was one of multiple polo tournaments played in Paris in late May and early June 1900. It was the first time that polo was played at the Olympics; the sport would appear again in 1908, 1920, 1924, and 1936. Each time, the tournament was for men only.[1]

Competition format

The competition was a single elimination tournament, with no third place match. Teams did not have to consist of entirely players from a single nation at the time, with four of the five competing teams being mixed.

Further, players were apparently permitted to play for multiple teams during the same tournament: Maurice Raoul-Duval played for both Bagatelle and Compiègne.[1]

Participating nations

A total of 20 players from 4 nations competed at the Paris Games:

Results

 
QuarterfinalSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
28 May
 
 
 Foxhunters Hurlingham (ZZX)10
 
31 May
 
 Compiègne Polo Club (FRA)0
 
 Foxhunters Hurlingham (ZZX)6
 
 
 Bagatelle Polo Club de Paris (ZZX)4
 
 
2 June
 
 
 Foxhunters Hurlingham (ZZX)3
 
 
 BLO Polo Club Rugby (ZZX)1
 
 
31 May
 
 
 BLO Polo Club Rugby (ZZX)8
 
 
 Mexico National Polo Team (ZZX)0
 
 
 
 
Rank Team Nation
1st place, gold medalist(s) Foxhunters Hurlingham  Great Britain
 United States
2nd place, silver medalist(s) BLO Polo Club Rugby  Great Britain
 United States
 France
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Bagatelle Polo Club de Paris  France
 Great Britain
Mexico National Polo Team  Mexico
 United States
5 Compiègne Polo Club  France

Rosters

Foxhunters Hurlingham

BLO Polo Club Rugby

Bagatelle Polo Club de Paris

Mexico National Polo Team

Compiègne Polo Club

Medal table

All four medals were won by mixed teams. Great Britain had competitors on the gold, the silver and one of the bronze medal teams, the United States on the gold, the silver medal teams and one of the bronze medal teams. France had players on the silver and one of the bronze medal teams, while Mexico had three players on the other bronze medal team.

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 Mixed team (ZZX)1124
Totals (1 entries)1124

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Polo, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b Raoul-Duval played on two different teams.
  3. ^ "William Hayden Wright". Olympedia. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Paris 1900 Polo Men Results". Olympics.com. Retrieved 2 August 2021.

References

  • International Olympic Committee medal winners database
  • De Wael, Herman. Herman's Full Olympians: "Polo 1900". Accessed 25 February 2006. Available electronically at [1].
  • Mallon, Bill (1998). The 1900 Olympic Games, Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 0-7864-0378-0.
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