Boules at the 1900 Summer Olympics facts for kids
Boules was part of the Summer Olympic Games in 1900. While many events at these Games are considered "official" Olympic sports, boules events were generally not. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has never made a final decision on which events from 1900 were truly "Olympic."
Boules, like the sport of croquet, met most of the rules that later helped decide if an event was "official." For example, it was only for amateur players, open to all countries, and open to all competitors without special advantages. However, just like croquet, only French players took part in the boules events. Most other "official" events at the 1900 Games had players from more than one country.
What is Boules?
Boules is a group of sports where players throw or roll heavy balls, called boules, as close as possible to a smaller target ball, often called a jack or cochonnet. It's a bit like lawn bowls or bocce. These games are popular in many countries, especially in France. There are different types of boules games, and one of them, called Jeu Lyonnais, was played at the 1900 Olympics.
The 1900 Paris Olympics
The 1900 Summer Olympics were held in Paris, France, and were quite different from the Olympic Games we know today. They were part of the 1900 World's Fair and lasted for over five months! Because of this, many events were held that weren't really considered part of the main Olympic program. Some sports, like boules, were more like demonstration events or local competitions.
Boules at the Games
At the 1900 Paris Olympics, the boules events were mostly for French players. The main type of boules played was Jeu Lyonnais, which is a traditional French boules sport. Even though it wasn't officially recognized later, it was still a part of the big sports festival happening in Paris that year.
Results
The results for the Jeu Lyonnais events at the 1900 Games were:
- France 21, France 11
- France 9, France 1
These results show that the competitions were between different French teams or players.
See also
