Croquet is of European origins, with the name derived from the French word “crochet”, for crooked stick. It was played in France in the 17th century, at about the same time that the English played a similar game called “pall mall.” The game lapsed in popularity, however, until the mid-19th century, when Edmond Routlege of England published the first rule book – Routlege’s Handbook of Croquet.
The sport was contested at the 1900 Olympics in Paris, with three events. Two of the competitors were women, among the first women to compete in the Modern Olympic Games. At St. Louis 1904, roque, an American variant of croquet, was on the Olympic Programme as well. The name “roque” is derived by dropping the first and last letters from the name of its parent game of croquet. The sports of croquet and roque have not been held at the Olympics since their respective appearances.
Croquet is not currently recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), nor was it a member of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF). However, the sport does have an international governing body, the World Croquet Federation (WCF), which was founded on 15 July 1989. As of January 2026, there are currently 29 members of the WCF across five continents (13 Full members, six Associate members, and the remainder are Recognized Croquet Organizations).
FRA