The 1900 Olympic Games, the second occurrence of the modern Olympics, were held in Paris May 14–October 28, 1900.

The games were conducted in conjunction with the Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair) which led to a great deal of confusion. Some events were not a part of the official Olympic program and competitors often did not know if they were participating in an exhibition or an actual Olympic event. However, golf and tennis, the two sports Charles Sands competed in, were a prominent part of the official 1900 Olympic Games program.

The Olympic tennis competition was played at the Ile du Puteaux Club, an exclusive private tennis club located on a small island in the Seine. Five of the club’s ten courts were made available for the event beginning on July 6th. Charles Sands entered three events: Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Sands was well prepared for the competition. He had spent two years playing tennis in France prior to the Paris games, winning the Racquette D’Or—France’s highest award for court tennis—in both 1899 and 1900. However, British players dominated the Olympic tennis competition and Sands was defeated in the first round in each of his three events.

The Olympic golf competition was played on October 2nd, nearly three months after the tennis event. The venue was the Compiegne Club, located approximately 60 miles north of Paris. The format was 36 holes of stroke play.

Twelve prominent gentlemen from the United States, Britain, France, Greece, and Australia participated. Sands shot rounds of 82 and 85 to defeat Walter Rutherford of Scotland by one stroke. David Robertson, also of Scotland, took third place eight shots behind the leader.