New_Zealand_at_the_1920_Summer_Olympics
New Zealand at the 1920 Summer Olympics
Sporting event delegation
New Zealand competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. It was the first time that the nation had competed independently at the Olympic Games (even though the International Olympic Committee had a New Zealand member — Leonard Cuff — at its establishment). At the 1908 and 1912 Summer Olympics, New Zealand had competed with Australia in a combined team called Australasia.
The New Zealand team consisted of four competitors including the first woman to represent New Zealand at the Olympic Games, Violet Walrond who was only aged 15 at the time. The team can be considered one of the most successful ever as all team members finished fifth or better in at least one of their events. The opening flagbearer was hurdler Harry Wilson. Walrond's father Cecil, generally known as Tui Walrond, was both her chaperone and also the unofficial trainer for the New Zealand team.[1][2]
