Finland competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia and Stockholm, Sweden. 64 competitors, 63 men and 1 woman, took part in 62 events in 14 sports.
Édouard Candeveau was a Swiss rower who competed at the 1920, 1924 and 1928 Summer Olympics. He won a bronze medal and a gold medal in the coxed pairs in 1920 and 1924, respectively. In 1928, he competed in the single sculls and finished seventh after being eliminated in the quarter-finals. At the European championships, Candeveau won four gold, one silver and one bronze medal between 1920 and 1931.
Romano Sgheiz is an Italian competition rower and Olympic champion.
Veli Veikko Valtteri Lehtelä was a Finnish rower. He competed in various two-man and four man events at the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics and won two bronze medals, in 1956 and 1960. His son Jorma Lehtelä also became an Olympic rower.
Karl-Heinrich Erich Moritz von Groddeck was a German rower who won three Olympic medals for the United Team of Germany: a silver in the coxed pairs in 1956 and a gold and a silver in the eights in 1960 and 1964, respectively. He also won one world and five European titles in these two rowing events between 1956 and 1964 for West Germany. In 1964 he retired from competitions.
Horst Effertz is a retired German rower who won a gold medal in the coxed fours at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Four years later he competed in the coxless fours and finished in sixth place. Effertz won two European titles in 1959 and 1964 and finished second in 1958.
Klaus Riekemann is a rower who competed for the United Team of Germany as a West German in the 1960 Summer Olympics.
Jörg Lucke is a retired East German rower. He won a bronze medal in the eights at the 1966 World Championships and an Olympic gold medal in the coxless pairs in 1968. After that he competed in the coxed pairs with Wolfgang Gunkel. Together they won the European title in 1971, the Olympics gold medal in 1972, and the world title in 1975, placing second in 1974.
Antanas Leonovich Bagdonavičius is a retired Lithuanian rower. He competed for the Soviet Union at the 1960, 1964 and 1968 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal in the coxed pairs in 1960 finishing in fifth and third place in the eights in 1964 and 1968, respectively. Between 1961 and 1967 he won three gold and four silver medals at European and world championships.
Zigmas Pranciškus Jukna was a Lithuanian rower. He competed for the Soviet Union at the 1960, 1964 and 1968 Summer Olympics, and finished in second, fifth and third place in the coxed pairs, eights and eights events, respectively. Between 1961 and 1969 he won three gold and five silver medals at European and world championships. Starting from 1971 he worked as a judge with the International Rowing Federation.
Igor Aleksandrovich Rudakov is a Russian coxswain who competed for the Soviet Union in the 1960, 1964, 1968, and in the 1972 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.
Ştefan Tudor was a Romanian rower.
Petre Ceapura is a retired Romanian rower. He competed at the 1968, 1972 and 1980 Olympics in the coxed fours (1968) and coxed pairs and won a bronze medal in 1972, placing fourth in 1980. In 1970, he became the first world champion in rowing from Romania. He also won three bronze medals at the European championships in 1967–1973. After retiring from competitions, he worked as a coach at his club Dinamo București.
Ladislau Lovrenschi was a rowing coxswain. He was born in a Hungarian community in Romania, where he is also known as László Lavrenszki. He competed in the coxed pairs and coxed fours at the 1968, 1972, 1980 and 1988 Olympics and won a bronze medal in 1968 and a silver in 1988, placing fourth in 1980 and 1988. In 1970 he became the first world champion in rowing from Romania. He also won a bronze medal at the 1967 European Championships. After retiring from competition he worked as a coach at CFR Timișoara and assisted in training the Romanian national team.
Vladimír Petříček is a retired Czech rowing coxswain who competed for Czechoslovakia. He had his best achievements in the coxed pairs with Oldřich Svojanovský and Pavel Svojanovský, winning the European title in 1969, an Olympic silver medal in 1972, and a world championships bronze medal in 1974. He also won a bronze medal in the coxed fours at the 1972 Olympics and finished fourth in 1976.
Karl-Heinz Danielowski is a retired German coxswain. He competed for the United Team of Germany at the 1964 Summer Olympics and for East Germany at the 1968 and 1976 Summer Olympics. In 1964 and 1968 he finished in seventh place in the coxed pairs and eights, respectively, whereas in 1976 he won a gold medal in the eight.
Peter Gorny is a retired German rower. He competed for the United Team of Germany at the 1964 Summer Olympics in the coxed pairs and for East Germany at the 1968 Summer Olympics in eights and finished in seventh place on both occasions. Gorny also won a world title in the coxed pairs in 1970 and four medals at the European championships of 1964–1971, including two gold medals.
Boris Fyodorov is a Soviet rower. He had a long career, having won international medals between the ages of 22 and 35.
Werner Ehrensperger is a Swiss coxswain.
