Vyacheslav Nikolayevich Ivanov is a former rower, and one of the most accomplished rowers of his generation. He rowed for the Soviet Union, and he won the Olympic gold medals in the single sculls class at the 1956 Melbourne Games, the 1960 Rome Games and the 1964 Tokyo Games.
Germany was represented at the 1956 Summer Olympics by a United Team of Germany of athletes from the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and, for the first time at Summer Games, also from the German Democratic Republic (GDR) which had not joined in 1952. Also, the Saarland athletes who had to enter as a separate team in 1952 could now join in even though the accession of their state was not yet in effect. Thus, this was the only Olympic team ever to comprise athletes from three German states.
Alf John Hansen is a retired rower from Norway. Early in his career, he received two Norwegian sport awards shared with his brother Frank. Towards the end of his career in 1990, he was the inaugural recipient of the Thomas Keller Medal, the highest honour in rowing. His international rowing career spanned more than two decades.
Romano Sgheiz is an Italian competition rower and Olympic champion.
Ivo Stefanoni is an Italian rowing cox and Olympic champion.
Giuseppe Moioli is an Italian rower who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics, in the 1952 Summer Olympics, and in the 1956 Summer Olympics.
Gaston Antoine Mercier was a French rower who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics, in the 1956 Summer Olympics, and in the 1960 Summer Olympics.
Kraft Schepke is a German rower who competed for the United Team of Germany in the 1960 Summer Olympics.
Giovanni Zucchi was an Italian rower who competed in the 1956, 1960, and the 1964 Summer Olympics, winning bronze in 1960. He won five gold medals at European Rowing Championships.
Horst Arndt was a West German rower who competed for the United Team of Germany in the 1956 Summer Olympics.
Gottfried "Göpf" Kottmann was a Swiss rower and bobsledder who competed from the mid-1950s until his death by drowning shortly after his second Olympic appearance in 1964.
Peter Berger is a German rower who competed for West Germany in the 1968 Summer Olympics and in the 1972 Summer Olympics.
Hans-Johann Färber is a German rower who competed for West Germany in the 1968 Summer Olympics and in the 1972 Summer Olympics.
Alois Bierl is a German rower who competed for West Germany in the 1972 Summer Olympics.
Ilona Richter is a German rower who competed for East Germany in the 1976 Summer Olympics and in the 1980 Summer Olympics, winning gold at both occasions.
Peter Niehusen is the only sportsman to have won international medals as both a coxswain and a rower. He won two gold medals and three bronze medals at the European and World Championships and the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.
Martin Sauer is a German rowing coxswain. He is an eight-time world champion at the senior level and three-time underage world champion. He is a triple Olympian and a dual Olympic medallist. He has held his seat as coxswain of the German senior men's eight—the Deutschlandachter—constantly from 2009 to 2021 and steered that crew to their six world championship titles and also when at the 2017 World Rowing Cup II they set a world's best time of 5.18.68, still the standing world mark as of 2021.
The men's coxed pair competition at the 1956 Summer Olympics took place at Lake Wendouree near Ballarat, Australia, from 23 to 27 November. There were 8 boats from 8 nations, with each nation limited to one boat in the event. The event was won by the American crew, rowers Arthur Ayrault and Conn Findlay and coxswain Kurt Seiffert. It was the first victory in the event for the United States since 1932 and second overall, matching Switzerland for most among nations at that point. The United Team of Germany took silver in its debut. The Soviet Union earned its first medal in the event, with Ihor Yemchuk, Heorhiy Zhylin, and Vladimir Petrov (cox) taking bronze.
Thomas Schneider is a West German rower who represented the United Team of Germany. Together with Gerhard Häge, he won the first European medal for the once dominant rowing nation after World War II.
Jacques Vilcoq is a French coxswain.
