Croquet is credited with being the first Olympic event in which women participated, but the game’s tenure was limited to a one time only appearance in Paris 1900. Perhaps it was because only French competitors signed up for the event. Or it could be because only a single spectator purchased a ticket to the event. Most likely it was due to a damning declaration by an official report of the Paris Olympics that croquet was a game with “hardly any pretensions to athleticism.”
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