Canada did not send an official national team to the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. However, it was the first Olympic Games in which Canadian athletes participated. Two Canadians competed—George Orton and Ronald J. MacDonald—though not under a formal national team banner, as those were not introduced until later Games. Orton became Canada’s first Olympic medalist and Olympic champion when he finished first in the 2500-metre steeplechase. He also placed third in the 400-metre hurdles and fifth in the 4000-metre steeplechase.
Orton's historical achievement was not immediately recognized. National teams did not exist in 1900, and because Orton competed for the University of Pennsylvania, he was initially assumed to be American. However, he remained a proud Canadian throughout his life.
Disputed country attribution
Because both athletes represented American clubs, their participation and medals were initially attributed to the United States. Consequently, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) historically considered Canada a non-participant in the 1900 Games. Between 2021 and 2024, the IOC briefly adjusted its policy to attribute individual medals according to an athlete's nationality, retroactively assigning George Orton's medals to Canada, which is also supported by the Canadian Olympic Committee; it regards Orton as the first Canadian Olympic medalist.
However, in 2024, the IOC reinstated its original attribution policy for early Olympic Games (1896, 1900, and 1904), crediting participation and medals based on the national affiliation of the club represented rather than individual nationality. As a result of Orton representing the University of Pennsylvania, his medals were reallocated back to the United States and Canada is once again listed as a non-participant.
Reallocated medals
MedalNameSportEventDateReallocated toAthletics2500 m steeplechase United States400 m hurdles United States
Medals by sportSportTotalAthletics 1012Total1012
Multiple medalists The following competitors won multiple medals at the 1900 Olympic Games. Name Medal Sport Event Athletics 2500 m steeplechase400 m hurdles
Competitors
The following is the list of number of competitors in the Games.
SportMenWomenTotalAthletics 2 0 2 Total 2 0 2
Athletics
Both of Canada's competitors competed in athletics, with Orton taking a gold and a bronze medal to tie the nation for 4th on the athletics medal leaderboard.
Track & road events AthleteEventHeatSemifinalRepechageFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankGeorge Orton1500 mcolspan=6 George Orton110 m hurdlescolspan=4 Did not advanceGeorge Orton400 m hurdles1:00.22 Qcolspan=4 58.8George Orton2500 m steeplechasecolspan=6 7:34.4George Orton4000 m steeplechasecolspan=6 Unknown5Ronald MacDonaldMarathoncolspan=6 Unknown7
References
External links sports-reference