The croquet competition at the 1900 Olympics had almost no spectators.

The 1900 Olympic croquet tournament
Credit: © FLHC 2021BB/Alamy
Author Michael Nordine
September 30, 2026

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Some events are synonymous with the Olympics, while others can feel somewhat out of place. Gymnastics, swimming, and track and field are enduring parts of the quadrennial event, while some events have been bizarre one-offs. Bowling made it to the Games in 1988, breakdancing made its sole appearance (so far, anyway) in 2024, and a whole host of unexpected sports were included in the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. 

Among them was croquet, which might have lasted longer had more people shown up to watch. By some accounts, there was just a single spectator: a croquet enthusiast from England (though it’s likely some French locals were also in attendance). Adding insult to injury, an official report published afterward chided the event for having “hardly any pretensions to athleticism.”

All 10 athletes who participated were French, including the most successful player: Gaston Aumoitte, who won in both the singles (one ball) and doubles categories. Other events at the 1900 Olympics included pigeon racing, cannon shooting, ballooning (as in, hot air), firefighting, and lifesaving. None of them made the cut again, though one imagines most of them had more spectators than croquet did.

By the Numbers

Did you know?

Only five countries have competed at every modern Summer Olympics.

More than 200 countries were represented at the 2024 Olympics, including four that won medals for the first time: Albania, Cabo Verde, Dominica, and Saint Lucia, with the latter two securing gold in the triple jump and 100-meter dash, respectively. Since the first modern Olympics were held in 1896 — a watershed event that ended a 1,500-year hiatus — only five countries have competed at every edition of the Summer Games: Australia, France, Great Britain, Greece, and Switzerland. The United States would also be on that list had President Jimmy Carter not decided to boycott the 1980 Olympics, which were held in Moscow, in protest of the Soviet Union’s 1979 invasion of Afghanistan. Several countries joined the U.S. in boycotting the event, including Japan, West Germany, Norway, Argentina, China, Chile, and the Philippines.

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