Melbourne 1956 Summer Olympics

Melbourne, Australia. First Games in the Southern Hemisphere, with equestrian in Stockholm

Overview

Australian quarantine laws forced the equestrian events to Stockholm in June, the only time Olympic events were split between continents and seasons. Several nations boycotted over the Suez crisis and the Soviet crushing of Hungary, and the water polo clash between the USSR and Hungary, remembered as the Blood in the Water match, became legend. Betty Cuthbert won three sprint golds for the hosts at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.