These days, there are only very faint reminders (the monotonous social housing and crumbling sporting fields in Heidelberg, for instance) that Melbourne ever hosted the Olympic Games.
When Melbourne won the right to host the 1956 Olympics by one vote over Buenos Aires, it was a remarkable achievement that would herald a powerful sports culture within the country.
It would be 40 years before there was such a large contingent of athletes competing at a Games down under and it remains, in many ways, the largest global event Melbourne has ever hosted. Its sporting legacy is particularly important – hosting the Games allowed Australia to make its Olympic debut in several sports, including team sports such as basketball and football, while the guests also had their fair share of record-breaking accomplishments.
However, it also contributed to several controversies. Bringing together 3,314 athletes, 72 teams and 151 sports events on the other side of the world – for the first time – required dousing a few fires, so to speak.
While hosting the Olympics has left a subtle-yet-complicated sociopolitical legacy in Melbourne., given Paris 2024 is capturing our hearts for all the right reasons, we figured we’d keep our focus on the field as well. For better or worse, this was one legendary affair that should never be forgotten. So, just in case it slipped your mind as well, here is everything you need to be reminded about for Melbourne 1956.
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The opening ceremony began with every spectator in the packed stadium locking their eyes towards the running track as countries marched with their flag under the name of solidarity. Among them, were East and West Germany united under the same colours for the first time since World War II.
The hosts marched last with Rower Mervyn Wood, who competing at his fourth Olympics, was chosen to carry the Australian flag again, marking himself as the only person ever to receive this honour twice. Lucky devil!
After the Duke of Edinburgh officially opened the game, the Olympic flag was raised, Ron Clarke lit up the sacred flame, and the oath was spoken – it meant the fun was just about to begin.
The host’s achievements
Australia hit the ground running from the onset, thanks to brilliant performances by ‘Golden Girl’ Betty Cuthbert who emerged as a heroine, winning the 100m and 200m sprint double, as well as securing a gold medal for the 4x100m relay team. These three gold medals meant that Betty was the only Aussie girl to win that much until swimmer Shane Gould in 1972.
On top of that, Shirley Strickland won two gold medals at her final Games in the 80m hurdles and the 4x100m relay, finishing a career as one of Australia’s greatest with three gold, one silver and three bronze medals.
Aussies also did amazingly well to swim their way to golden glory with the Olympic debut of two legends, Dawn Fraser and Murray Rose. Dawn struck gold in the 100m freestyle and 4x100m freestyle and a silver in the 400m freestyle, while Rose achieved a golden treble with victories in the 400m freestyle, 1500m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle.
Adding to that was dual gold medallist Lorraine Crapp, winner of the 400m freestyle and the 4x100m freestyle relay; David Theile, the champion of the 100m backstroke; and 100m freestyle winner Jon Henricks.
Elsewhere, Ian Browne and Anthony Marchant cycled their way to win the 2000m tandem. While Australia received first-ever medals in sailing thanks to Rolly Tasker and John Scott who won a silver medal in the 12 square metre class and Doug Buxton, Dev Mytton as well as Alex ‘Jock’ Sturrock who combined for a bronze in the 5.5m class. Kayakers Dennis Green and Wally Brown also won a bronze in the exhausting K2 10,000m. Historic stuff!
The guests’ achievements
Aside from the hosts, the guests also played a role in performing record-breaking achievements, with the Indian national field hockey team winning its sixth consecutive gold. It would continue to become the longest streak of one nation consecutively winning gold in field hockey, which ended in 1960.
Somewhere else, a dramatic story emerged as long-distance runner Alain Mimoun ran away with a victory after losing on the track three times at the hands of Czech Emil Zátopek. The Frenchmen waited at the finish line for his old friend and great rival, who trotted home in sixth place.
The U.S. basketball team, anchored by Bill Russell and K.C. Jones, put on the most dominant performance in Olympic history, scoring more than twice as many points as their opponents and winning each of their games by at least 30 points.
Controversies
Due to foreign horse restrictions in Australia, the equestrian events had to take place in Stockholm in June of the same year. This was the second time events took place in two different nations.
But, more concerning matters came from the Soviet invasion of Hungary which provoked protests from numerous Western countries, and some of them, such as Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands, unfortunately, decided to withdraw from the Games.
To add more fuel to the fire, Egypt, Lebanon and Iraq refused to participate in protest of the Franco-British Suez intervention. The People’s Republic of China refused to play a part as well because of the presence of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
John Ian Wing comes to the rescue
Despite all the doom and gloom, the Olympics did not end without a light at the end of the tunnel which came thanks to a young Chinese apprentice carpenter living in Australia, good ol’ John Ian Wing.
Yes, you read that right! An Australian schoolboy was the one who suggested that the athletes enter the stadium together during the Closing Ceremony as a uniting symbol of togetherness and friendship. It went on to become a beloved tradition for the Games.
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