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9 unusual facts about 1956 Summer Olympics


1956 Olympics

The 1956 Summer Olympics, which were held in Melbourne, Australia with equestrian events in Stockholm, Sweden

1956 Winter Olympics

Politics did not impact the 1956 Winter Games as at the Summer Games in Melbourne, Australia, where the Soviet response to the Hungarian Uprising and the Suez War caused many nations to boycott the Games.

Arthur Cusack

Arthur Cusack was the coach of Olympic Gold medal winner David Theile, who won gold in the 100m backstroke in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and the 1960 Rome Olympics.

Charles Moses

With the arrival of television in Australia in 1956, he oversaw the ABC's move to provide Australia's first national television service, ABC-TV, in time for the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne.

Division of Jagajaga

The Olympic Village in Heidelberg West housed the thousands of athletes who participated in the 1956 Olympic Games.

Graham Sykes

Graham Sykes (20 July 1937 – 26 November 2008) was a British swimmer who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics and in the 1960 Summer Olympics.

Lošinj

Agostino Straulino (b. October 10, 1914 in Mali Lošinj; d. December 14, 2004 in Rome) was an Italian sailor and sailboat racer, who won one Olympic gold medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics (Helsinki) and one silver medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics (Melbourne) in the Star class, and eight consecutive European championships (1949–56) and two world championships (1952–53) in this class and was world champion in the 5.5m-class.

Peter Harburn

A few days later he was mistakenly named in the Great Britain squad preparing for the Olympic Games, for which, as a professional, he was ineligible.

Women's swimming in Australia

Att the 1956 Summer Olympics, an Australian woman won a medal in every women's swimming event held during the games.


Basil Catterns

He produced a film of the Melbourne Olympic Games; sailed the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race on six occasions; founded Offshore Yachting, the magazine of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia; and was one of the longest-serving members of the Sydney Maritime Museum.

Bill Conterio

Bill Conterio (born November 29, 1929 in Chicago, Illinois) was an American soccer midfielder who was a member of the United States soccer teams at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics.

Billy Dick

His nephews Ian and Alexander Dick played cricket for Western Australia, with Ian also captaining Australia at field hockey in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.

Carin Cone

She competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, where she received a silver medal in the women's 100-meter backstroke, having the same time (1:12.9 – new world record) as Judy Grinham who was judged as winner.

Chris Brasher

Two years later, at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, Brasher finished first in the 3,000 metres steeplechase with a time of 8 minutes 41.2 seconds, but was disqualified for allegedly interfering with another runner, Ernst Larsen of Norway.

Cycling at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's 1000 m time trial

These are the official results of the Men's 1.000 m Time Trial at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, held on Thursday December 6, 1956.

Cycling at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's individual road race

These are the official results of the Men's Individual Road Race at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, held on Friday December 7, 1956.

Cycling at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's sprint

These are the official results of the Men's 1.000m Scratch Sprint at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, held from December 3 to December 6, 1956.

Cycling at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's tandem

These are the official results of the Men's Tandem at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, held from December 3 to December 6, 1956.

Cycling at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's team pursuit

These are the official results of the Men's Team Pursuit at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.

Cycling at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's team road race

These are the official results of the Men's Team Road Race at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, held on Friday December 7, 1956 as a part of the Men's Individual Road Race.

Ercole Baldini

His best year was 1956, in which he won a gold medal in the road race at the Summer Olympics in Melbourne, and, in September, stripped Jacques Anquetil of the hour record, riding 46.394 km at the Velodromo Vigorelli in Milan.

Gordon Pearce

Gordon Charles Pearce (born 10 January 1934 in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India) is a field hockey player who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics, in the 1960 Summer Olympics, and in the 1968 Summer Olympics for Australia.

Hughie Ferguson

Ferguson's son Jack later went on to represent Britain in water polo at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics.

Ira Murchison

Ira James Murchison (February 6, 1933 – March 28, 1994) was an American athlete, winner of the gold medal in 4x100 m relay at the 1956 Summer Olympics.

Joan Rosazza

She represented the United States as a 19-year-old at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, where she won a silver medal in the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay with Sylvia Ruuska, Shelley Mann, and Nancy Simons.

Leichhardt Rowing Club

Four club men were selected for Olympic representation at Helsinki 1952 and five for Melbourne 1956.

Liberia at the Olympics

Liberia (LBR) has sent athletes to every Summer Olympic Games held since 1956 with the exception of 1968, 1976 and 1992, although the country has never won an Olympic medal.

Mihály Iglói

The team's mentality and spirit was badly shaken as the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was bloodily crushed by the Soviet military just weeks before the Melbourne Olympics.

Reinhold Pommer

Reinhold Viktor Pommer (January 6, 1935) is a former road and track cyclist from Germany, who won the Bronze medal in the men's team Road race at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, along with Horst Tüller and Gustav-Adolf Schur.

Samar Banerjee

Banerjee was the captain of the Indian National Football Team in 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne.

Steve Casey

In 1982, Casey was awarded the Irish Hall of Fame award by 1956 Olympic Gold Medalist Ronnie Delaney.

Swimming at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Women's 200 metre breaststroke

The women's 200 metre breaststroke event, included in the swimming competition at the 1956 Summer Olympics, took place on November 29–30, at the Swimming and Diving Stadium.

Thane Baker

Walter Thane Baker (born October 4, 1931 in Elkhart, Kansas) is a former American athlete and winner of the gold medal in the 4x100 m relay at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, with a new world record of 39.5 seconds.

Turun Toverit

Most famous TuTo-athlete of all-time is Voitto Hellstén, the 400 metres bronze medalist at the 1956 Summer Olympics.

Zheng Fengrong

Since the People's Republic of China did not compete in the Summer Olympics between 1952 and 1984, Zheng could not participate in the 1956 competition, won by Mildred McDaniel, whose world record Zheng bettered.


see also

Albert Hill

Bertie Hill (1926–2005), British equestrian at the 1956 Summer Olympics

Aronsson

Ivar Aronsson (born 1928), Swedish rower who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics

Boris Matveyev

Boris Matveyev (athlete), Soviet discus thrower who participated in the 1956 Summer Olympics, see Athletics at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's discus throw

Edenderry

Ron Delany (athlete, middle distance runner, winner gold medal 1500 meters at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne)

Göransson

Bertil Göransson (1919–2004), Swedish rower who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics

Ivković

Vladimir Ivković (born 1929), Croat water polo player who competed for Yugoslavia in the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics

Lajos Somodi

Lajos Somodi, Sr. (born 1928), Hungarian fencer who competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics