Polo at the 1908 Summer Olympics

At the 1908 Summer Olympics, a polo tournament was contested. It was the second time the sport had been featured at the Olympics, with 1900 being its first appearance. The venue was the Hurlingham Polo Grounds in London. The Hurlingham Club presented a Challenge Cup to the winner of the tournament, which consisted of three teams. All three teams represented the British Olympic Association, with two from England and one from Ireland. The two English teams played each first, with the winner playing against the Irish team. Roehampton won both games, taking the gold medal, while the other two teams did not face each other to break the tie for second place.

Men's polo
at the Games of the IV Olympiad
Polo pictogram
VenueHurlingham Club Polo Grounds
Dates18 June 1908
21 June 1908
Competitors12 from 1 nation
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Roehampton
 Great Britain
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Hurlingham Club
 Great Britain
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Ireland national polo team
 Great Britain
← 1900
1920 →

Background

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This was the second time that polo was played at the Olympics; the sport had previously appeared in 1900 and would appear again in 1920, 1924, and 1936. Each time, the tournament was for men only.[1]

No nations made their debut in polo in 1908, as Great Britain was the only nation represented and was making its second appearance.

Competition format

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Only two games were played. The winner of the first game played the team that had a bye. Games were played in six periods of ten minutes each.[2]

Medal table

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Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1   Great Britain 1 2 0 3

Medal summary

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Gold Silver Bronze
  Great Britain (GBR)
Roehampton
Charles Darley Miller
George Arthur Miller
Patteson Womersley Nickalls
Herbert Haydon Wilson
  Great Britain (GBR)
Hurlingham
Walter Buckmaster
Frederick Freake
Walter Jones
John Wodehouse
  Great Britain (GBR)
Ireland
John Hardress Lloyd
John Paul McCann
Percy O'Reilly
Auston Rotherham
None awarded

Team rosters

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Hurlingham

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Ireland

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Roehampton

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Results

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Game 1

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Hurlingham scored first, with a goal in the second period by Jones. It would be the only goal scored by the team, however, as Roehampton answered with two goals in the third and added another in the fifth.

June 18 GBR Roehampton 3 - 1 GBR Hurlingham Hurlingham Grounds

Game 2

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The second game was decidedly more lopsided than the first, with Roehampton scoring twice in the first period and Miller adding three more himself in the second. Ireland scored its only goal shortly before the end of the match, when the team was already down 8-0.

June 21 GBR Roehampton 8 - 1 GBR Ireland Hurlingham Grounds

Sources

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  1. ^ "Polo, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  2. ^ Official Report, p. 521.
  • Cook, Theodore Andrea (1908). The Fourth Olympiad, Being the Official Report. London: British Olympic Association.
  • De Wael, Herman (2001). "Polo 1908". Herman's Full Olympians. Retrieved 6 May 2006.