Jeu de paume at the 1908 Summer Olympics facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Men's singles jeu de paumeat the Games of the IV Olympiad
|
|||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||||||||||
| Venue | Queen's Club | ||||||||||||
| Dates | May 18–23 | ||||||||||||
| Competitors | 11 from 2 nations | ||||||||||||
| Medalists | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Jeu de paume is an old sport that is a bit like modern tennis. It was played at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. This was the only time this sport was a medal event at the Summer Olympic Games.
An outdoor version of the game, called longue paume, was shown as a demonstration sport at the 1900 Summer Olympics. In the United Kingdom, jeu de paume is known as Real tennis. It was also an exhibition event at the 1924 Summer Olympics. The official report for the 1908 Games called it "Tennis (jeu de paume)" to tell it apart from "lawn tennis," which is what we call tennis today.
Contents
What is Jeu de Paume?
Jeu de paume means "game of the palm" in French. It's one of the oldest racket sports. Players used their hands to hit the ball at first. Later, rackets were invented. The game is played indoors on a special court with walls that are part of the game.
Jeu de Paume at the Olympics
The 1908 London Olympics was the only time jeu de paume was a medal sport. Before that, in 1900, a different version was just shown to people. In 1924, it was played again, but only as an exhibition. This means no medals were given out.
The Olympic Venue
The competition took place at the Queen's Club in West Kensington, London. This club is famous for many racket sports. It has a long history of hosting important tennis and other court games.
Who Competed?
Only two nations sent athletes to compete in jeu de paume in 1908. A total of 11 players took part in the event.
Great Britain (9) (Great Britain had 9 players)
United States (2) (The United States had 2 players)
Medal Winners
The United States won the gold medal in this event. Great Britain won the silver and bronze medals.
- Gold Medal: Jay Gould II from the United States
- Silver Medal: Eustace Miles from Great Britain
- Bronze Medal: Neville Bulwer-Lytton from Great Britain
Here are the top players and their countries:
| Place | Name | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jay Gould II | United States |
| 2 | Eustace Miles | Great Britain |
| 3 | The Hon. Neville Bulwer-Lytton | Great Britain |
| 4 | Arthur Page | Great Britain |
Images for kids
-
Gold medallist Jay Gould II, pictured in 1905 with racket.
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Jeu de Paume en los Juegos Olímpicos de Londres 1908 para niños
