Australasia was the name of a combined team from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and New Zealand that competed at the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...

in London, United Kingdom. It was the fourth appearance of Australia, which had not missed any edition of the

Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

, and the first appearance of New Zealand. The two would compete together again as

Australasia at the 1912 Summer Olympics Australasia was the name of a combined team at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, consisting of 26 athletes from Australia and New Zealand. The combined team had also competed at the 1908 Games, but Australia and New Zealand would se ...

before competing separately at every edition of the Summer Games since. In 1908 there were three New Zealanders, Harry Kerr,

Henry Murray Henry Alexander Murray (May 13, 1893 – June 23, 1988) was an American psychologist at Harvard University, where from 1959 to 1962 he conducted a series of psychologically damaging and purposefully abusive experiments on minors and underg ...

and

Albert Rowland Albert Edward Mackay Rowland (26 October 1885 – 23 July 1918) was a New Zealand athlete who competed in walking events. He competed for Australasia in two walking events at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. Early life and family Born in Ch ...

(a fourth New Zealander, hurdler

Arthur Halligan Cyril Arthur Halligan (10 November 1886 – 16 May 1942) was a New Zealander who competed for Great Britain at the 1908 Summer Olympics in the 110 metre hurdles The 110 metres hurdles, or 110-metre hurdles, is a hurdling track and field event ...

, competed for Great Britain);Heidenstrom, P. (1992) ''Athletes of the Century.'' Wellington: GP Publications all other competitors were Australian. There were 30 competitors for Australasia who competed in 20 events in six sports. A further two competitors, who were to compete in tennis, did not play as their nominations failed to reach the organisers.

Medallists

Athletics

Track & road events Field events

Boxing

Diving

Rugby

Australasia won the only rugby union match played in 1908 against Great Britain, earning the gold medal. The Australasian representative was the Australia national team.

Shooting

Swimming

Tennis

Les Poidevin Leslie Oswald Sheridan Poidevin (5 November 1876 – 19 November 1931) was an Australian tennis player and first-class cricketer who played for New South Wales and Lancashire. Biography A right-handed batsman who was strong in defence, Poide ...

and Anthony Wilding (who were partners in the 1906 Davis Cup preliminary round at Newport) were nominated for the Australasian team by the Australasian Lawn Tennis Association, but their nominations failed to reach the organisers. So the pair watched the "small, impoverished and out of place" Australasian contingent alongside the "tailored splendour" of some European teams. Although many leading tennis players bypassed the Olympic tournament (which followed almost immediately after Wimbledon) and his goal had been Wimbledon, Wilding regretted the missed opportunity and endorsed his mother's summing up of the administrative bungling: "seems very careless of them & very annoying".

References

External links

Cover of 1908 programme

Sources

* * {{Nations at the 1908 Summer Olympics Nations at the 1908 Summer Olympics

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...