The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which were held in Stockholm, Sweden, in June 1956.
Randhir Singh Gentle was an Indian field hockey player and coach. He was a part of the Indian team that won three consecutive gold medals in the Summer Olympics, from 1948 to 1956. Gentle is one among only seven Indians to have won three gold medals at the Games.
Elżbieta Maria Krzesińska was a track and field athlete from Poland, who competed in the long jump. Born in Warsaw, she competed for her native country at the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia where she won the gold medal in the Women's Long Jump. She returned to the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome but failed to defend her title, finishing second behind Soviet Vera Krepkina.
Italy competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia and Stockholm, Sweden. 129 competitors, 114 men and 15 women, took part in 76 events in 13 sports. As the country hosted the next Olympics in Rome, an Italian segment was performed at the closing ceremony.
Oscar Aldo Moglia Eiras was a basketball player from Uruguay.
Charles Thomas Vinci Jr. was an American weightlifter and Olympic champion. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Vinci was the United States Senior National Champion from 1954 to 1956 and from 1958 to 1961. He received silver medals in the 1955 and 1958 world championships. He won gold medals at the 1955 and 1959 Pan American games. He won a gold medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, with a world-record three-lift total of 342.5 kilograms (755.1 lb). Just prior to weighing-in, Vinci was 1.5 pounds overweight. After an hour of running and sweating, he was still seven ounces over the limit, but a severe last-minute haircut saw him make the weight limit. He won gold again at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
Helmut Bantz was a German gymnast and Olympic champion. He won a gold medal in the vault at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, competing for the United Team of Germany.
Romano Sgheiz is an Italian competition rower and Olympic champion.
Angelo Vanzin was an Italian competition rower and Olympic champion. He won a gold medal in the coxed four event at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, together with Romano Sgheiz, Alberto Winkler, Franco Trincavelli and Ivo Stefanoni.
Ivo Stefanoni is an Italian rowing cox and Olympic champion.
Donald John Arnold was a Canadian competition rower and Olympic champion. He was born in Kelowna, British Columbia.
Thomas Jackson Charlton Jr. is an American competition rower and Olympic champion.
Leandro Faggin was an Italian racing cyclist, Olympic champion and world champion in track cycling.
Anatoli Ivanovich Bogdanov was a Soviet sport shooter and Olympic champion.
Antonio Domenicali was an Italian racing cyclist and Olympic champion in track cycling.
Franco Gandini is an Italian racing cyclist and Olympic champion in track cycling.
William Tripp Woolsey was an American competition swimmer and Olympic champion. He represented the United States at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, where he won a gold medal in the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay with Wayne Moore, Ford Konno and Jimmy McLane. Four years later at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, he won a silver medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay with Dick Hanley, George Breen and Ford Konno.
Ronald Baensch was an Australian racing cyclist, specialising in track sprinting events. He represented Australia at the 1960 Olympics and several World Championships in the 1960s and in 1970.
Valentino Gallo is an Italian water polo player who competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Olympics. He was part of the silver medal-winning team at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He is currently playing with AN Brescia in Italy.
The men's sprint at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy was held on 26 to 29 August 1960. There were 30 participants from 18 nations. For the first time since 1924, nations were allowed to have more than one competitor each ; for the first time since 1924, one nation took multiple medals. Italians Sante Gaiardoni and Valentino Gasparella won gold and bronze, giving Italy a four-Games podium streak with three total gold medals—second all-time behind France's five. Leo Sterckx's silver was Belgium's first medal in the men's sprint.
