Water Polo at the Olympic Games: Melbourne 1956

After more than half-a-century, the Olympic Games were staged for the first time outside Europe and America, as well as in November-December, for they were hosted in the Southern Emisphere. In fact, the organisation of the 1956 edition of the event was given to Melbourne, Australia. The International Olympic Committee gathered in Rome just one year after the London Games and Melbourne won the bid over Buenos Aires and other six American cities for just one vote.

This edition turned out to be a troubled one even before it began. Main concerns arose regarding the schedule, as athletes were accustomed to compete during summer. Furthermore, the equestrian competition took place in Stockholm in June, as equine quarantine was about to be introduced in Australia. This made the 1956 Games the only one with competitions held in two different countries. The organisation had also to face shortage of funds as well as serious political issues. Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon announced their boycott in response to the Suez Crisis when Egypt was invaded by Israel, the United Kingdom, and France. Two weeks before the opening ceremony another boycott was announced, as the People’s Republic of China had been allowed to participate behind the name “Formosa”. Read more

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