Melbourne won the right to host the 1956 Olympics by a single vote over Buenos Aires. Due to strict Australian quarantine laws, the equestrian events were held separately in Stockholm. These Games marked the first Olympics held in the southern hemisphere.
Key highlights included Hungarian boxer Laszlo Papp winning his third gold medal, and American diver Pat McCormick repeating her 1952 double victory. In gymnastics, Viktor Chukarin of the USSR secured five medals, while Agnes Keleti of Hungary added six more medals to her record.
The U.S. basketball team, led by Bill Russell and K.C. Jones, dominated with victory margins over 30 points in every match. A remarkable moment came in weightlifting when Paul Anderson tied with Humberto Selvetti, but won gold due to a lower body weight (137.9kg vs. 143.5kg).
A notable first occurred during the Closing Ceremony, where athletes marched in together rather than by nation, symbolizing global unity—an idea proposed by Australian John Ian Wing.
Participation & Events
Participating Nations: 72
Participants: 3,314 (376 women, 2,938 men)
Total Events: 145
Top Three Nations: United States, USSR, Hungary
Medal Tally of XVI Olympic Games
| Rank | Nation | Medals | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | ||
| 1 | USSR | 37 | 29 | 32 | 98 |
| 2 | United States of America | 32 | 25 | 17 | 74 |
| 3 | Australia | 13 | 8 | 14 | 35 |
| 4 | Hungary | 9 | 10 | 7 | 26 |
| 5 | Italy | 8 | 8 | 9 | 25 |
| 6 | Sweden | 8 | 5 | 6 | 19 |
| 7 | United Team of Germany | 6 | 13 | 7 | 26 |
| 8 | Great Britain | 6 | 7 | 11 | 24 |
| 9 | Romania | 5 | 3 | 5 | 13 |
| 10 | Japan | 4 | 10 | 5 | 19 |
| 11 | France | 4 | 4 | 6 | 14 |
| 12 | Turkey | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 13 | Finland | 3 | 1 | 11 | 15 |
| 14 | Islamic Republic of Iran | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 15 | Canada | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 16 | New Zealand | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 17 | Poland | 1 | 4 | 4 | 9 |
| 18 | Czechoslovakia | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| 19 | Bulgaria | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 20 | Denmark | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 21 | Ireland | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 22 | Norway | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 23 | Mexico | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 24 | Brazil | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 24 | India | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 26 | Yugoslavia | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 27 | Chile | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 28 | Belgium | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 29 | Argentina | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 29 | Korea | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 31 | Iceland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 31 | Pakistan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 33 | South Africa | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 34 | Austria | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 35 | Bahamas | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 35 | Greece | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 35 | Switzerland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 35 | Uruguay | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 153 | 153 | 163 | 469 | |
Pakistan Medal Tally of XVI Olympic Games
| S.No. | Discipline | Medals | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | ||
| 1 | Hockey | - | 1 | - | 1 |
| Total | - | 1 | - | 1 | |
| S.No. | Name | Designation | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey | |||
| 1 | Mian Riazuddin | Team Manager | |
| 2 | Mr. A.I.S. Dara | Coach | |
| 3 | Mr. Abdul Hameed | Captain | |
| 4 | Mr. Latifur Rehman | Player | |
| 5 | Mr. Habibur Rehman | Player | |
| 6 | Mr. Naseer Bunda | Player | |
| 7 | Mr. Zafar Ali | Player | |
| 8 | Mr. M. Amin | Player | |
| 9 | Mr. Noor Alam | Player | |
| 10 | Mr. Motiullah | Player | Silver |
| 11 | Qazi Waheed | Player | |
| 12 | Mr. Zakir Hussain | Player | |
| 13 | Mr. Akhtar Hussain | Player | |
| 14 | Mr. Muneer Dar | Player | |
| 15 | Mr. M.H. Atif | Player | |
| 16 | Mr. Aziz Naik | Player | |
| 17 | Mr. Anwar Ahmed Khan | Player | |
| 18 | Ch. Ghulam Rasool | Player | |
| 19 | Mr. Habib Kiddie | Player | |
| 20 | Mr. Musarrat Ali | Player | |
| 21 | Mr. Nasib | Player | - |