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Bethel Solomons

Sport:
rugby

Country Represented:
Great Britain

Years Competed:
1908

Medals Received:
silver

Olympic Info:
Solomons represented Great Britan in rugby at the 1908 London Games, the second time the sport was included in the Olympic program. The British Olympic Committee decided that the rugby team would not be a national team, but would be selected from Cornwall, the county championship team from the previous year. Solomons, and his brother Barney Solomons, both from the Redruth, played in the only match of the Games, played against Australia and were awarded the silver medal despite losing to the Australians, 32-3.

Career Highlights:
Solomons competed internationally for Ireland ten times between 1908-1911. He captained Ireland against England in 1910, but they lost the match, 27-13. A cab driver, not recognizing Solomons following the game, commented, "What do you expect when you have 14 Protestants in a side led by a Jew!" A leading obstetrician later in life, Solomons was mentioned in the book Finnegan's Wake.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. 1885 - d. 1965

Origin:
Dublin, Ireland


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References:
Jewish Sports Legends: The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, by Joseph Siegman (Washington, D.C.: Brassey's, 2000)
encyclopedia of JEWS in sports, by Bernard Postal, Jesse Silver, and Roy Silver (New York: Bloch Publishing Co., 1965)
The Jewish Almanac, edited by Richard Siegel and Carl Rheins (New York: Bantam Books, 1980)