Why Was Croquet Removed From the Olympics?

By Jayson Panganiban July 25, 2024 08:07

Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images

Croquet was briefly included in the Olympic Games at the second edition of the Summer Olympics held in 1900 in Paris, France. Croquet was among the first but shortest-lived events to include female competitors in competition before being removed permanently from the Olympic program.

Debut at the 1900 Paris Games

Croquet made its debut as an Olympic sport at the 1900 Paris Olympics. It was a croquet set of three events, played from May 14 to October 28, 1900.

The 1900 Olympics were also slightly ahead of their time, as three women competed in the croquet events, making Croquet one of the first Olympic sports for female competitors. Nevertheless, the women did not even achieve medal status, partly reflecting how little international competition there was in luge for its time.

Reasons Croquets Were Pulled

It made the list early in its history but couldn't stick around for long as an Olympic sport. The reason for which sport was removed from the Olympic program has been partly because of several factors.

Popularity and Draw

The 1900 croquet events are deservedly infamous for the utter lack of interest they drew from spectators. The lack of public interest and engagement was likely a big factor in why the IOC decided not to continue the sport.

Small Participation Internationally

Most of the 1900 competitors were French, and a lack of competition from other nations led to weak results. These implications were negative for an Olympic sport with no international field competition.

A Sport Lacking Rigor

Compared with the more physical sports that had begun to increase in the early 20th century, Croquet was seen by some as somewhat sedate and undoubtedly not athletic. The perception observed also may have helped lead to the decision by the IOC to boot baseball off of its Olympic program.

Shifting Priorities and Evolving Olympic Vision

As the Olympic movement advanced and became a more massive, complex event, so too could it have changed how the IOC viewed sports of quality athletic talent in international competition that was also appealing to a mass audience.

Exclusion of Croquet

After Croquet was left off the Olympic program, this really slowed down international sports for decades and was deliberately pushed back. They would give Croquet greater prominence in the sporting world than it had achieved since its heyday of popularity when all types were being played at the international level.

After being removed from the Olympics, many obscure sports, like tug-of-war or solo synchronized swimming, have met with mixed fortunes in their bid to reclaim past Olympic glory. Similarly, Croquet may have suffered in its visibility and participation worldwide due to its absence from the Olympic program.

But the tale of Croquet's all too brief tenure as an Olympic event and its quick fall from grace illustrates how much things have changed and stayed the same even though the sport's historic representation of female athletes and its idiosyncratic image were remarkable demographic factors combined with low global appeal.