Venues of the 1956 Summer Olympics

Last updated

For the 1956 Summer Olympics , events were staged in a total of thirteen sports venues in Melbourne, Victoria, one in Ballarat, Victoria, [1] and three sports venues in Stockholm, Sweden. The equestrian events took place in Stockholm in June 1956, due to Australia's strict quarantine laws on equestrianism, and the other Olympic events took place in Melbourne later in the year, between late November and early December.

Contents

List of venues

Victoria, Australia

VenueSportsCapacityRef.
Broadmeadows Cycling (road)(Not listed) [2]
Lake Wendouree, Ballarat Canoeing, Rowing 14,300 [3]
Hockey Field Field hockey 21,048 [4]
Melbourne Cricket Ground Athletics, Field hockey (final), Football (final)104,000 [5]
Oaklands Hunt Club Modern pentathlon (riding, running)25,700 [2]
Olympic Park Stadium Football40,000 [4]
Port Phillip Sailing (Not listed) [6]
Royal Australian Air Force, Laverton Air Base Shooting (shotgun)(Not listed) [7]
Royal Exhibition Building Basketball (final), Modern pentathlon (fencing), Weightlifting, Wrestling 3,500 [8]
St Kilda Town Hall Fencing (Not listed) [9]
Swimming/Diving Stadium Diving, Modern pentathlon (swimming), Swimming, Water polo 6,000 [4]
Velodrome Cycling (track)7,900 [4]
West Melbourne Stadium Basketball, Boxing, Gymnastics 7,000 [3]
Williamstown Modern pentathlon (shooting), Shooting (pistol, rifle)(Not listed) [10]

Stockholm, Sweden

VenueSportsCapacityRef.
Lill-Jansskogen Equestrian (eventing)(Not listed) [11]
Olympic Stadium Equestrian (dressage, eventing, jumping)21,000 [12]
Ulriksdal Equestrian (eventing)(Not listed) [11]

Before the Olympics

Stockholm hosted the Summer Olympics in 1912. [13] Because of Australia's strict quarantine laws on horses, the International Olympic Committee in Athens in May 1954 selected the host of the 1912 Games to run the equestrian events. [14] Lake Wendouree was first used as a rowing venue in 1864 though the lake itself was not dammed and converted from a swamp until 1869 following a drought. [15]

The Cricket Ground was established in 1854 after two previous grounds in use were ruled unsuitable. [16] Football was first played at the Cricket Ground in 1859 while the first international cricket match in Australia took place in 1863. [17] Cycling races first took place in 1869 while the first Test Match took place in 1877. [17] Night football took place in 1879 while the first scoreboard in the world was erected in 1881 at the Cricket Ground along with sightboards and a telephone. [17] Australia's first athletics championships were held at the Cricket Ground in 1893 with Edwin Flack winning the one mile event. [17] Flack would win the 800 m and 1500 m events at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. [18] Lacrosse made its debut at the Cricket Ground in 1907 when Australia played Canada. [17] In 1914, a baseball exhibition took place between the American Major League Baseball teams New York Giants and Chicago White Sox. [17] Radio was first broadcast at the Cricket Ground in 1924. [17] The inaugural women's Australian athletics championships took place in 1930. [17] In 1935, the first women's cricket test match took place at the Cricket Grounds. [17] During World War II in 1942-45, the Grounds were used as staging areas for Allied troops. [17] Support was given for the 1956 Summer Games in 1953. [17]

The first zoo in Melbourne was established in 1861. [19] A cycling track was constructed in 1896. [19] The official site was dedicated in 1909. [19] Motorsports events took place at the park during the 1920s and 1930s. [19] During World War II in 1941-6, the speedway was part of the Allied War effort. [19] Construction of the venues used for the 1956 Summer Games began in 1951. [19]

The Royal Exhibition Building was completed in 1880. [20] World's Fairs were held there in 1880 and in 1888. [21] During the Great Influenza Epidemic of 1919, the Exhibition Building was commandeered for medical usage. [22] By the 1940s, the building's condition had deteriorated to where it was referred as a "white elephant". [22]

During the Olympics

Although cricket has not been part of an Olympic Games since 1900, [23] the Cricket Ground was a versatile venue for the 1956 Games. The Cricket Ground hosted between 85,001 and 107,100 for the athletic events. [17] Between 10,805 and 16,626 spectators attended the field hockey semifinals and medal matches. [17] The football final had an attendance of 104,700 spectators where the Soviet Union defeated Yugoslavia 4-1. [17]

The Olympic Park hosted aquatics, football, field hockey, and track cycling events during the 1956 Summer Games. [19]

After the Olympics

A few of the venues that were used for the 1956 Olympics still survive. The former Olympic Swimming and Diving Stadium remains as part of the Holden Centre at the Olympic Park complex. The former athletes' village in Heidelberg West remains as public housing, and the small stadium there is home to the local football team, Heidelberg United FC.

Some of the buildings that predate the Olympics still stand, such as St Kilda Town Hall (where the fencing events were held) and West Melbourne Stadium (subsequently renamed Festival Hall).

Tennis debuted at the Olympic Park Stadium in 1985, and it then became a permanent venue for the Australian Open at Flinders Park. [19] The stadium has expanded to host other sports and musical events. [19]

Restoration work began on the Royal Exhibition Building in 1985 and was completed during the 1990s. [22] It is now a World Heritage Site as of July 2004. [22] [24]

Melbourne Cricket Ground

The Queen Mother visited the cricket ground in 1958; the following year, Billy Graham hosted the greatest attendance of the Grounds' history with an audience of 130,000. [17] David Cassidy was the first musical act to perform at the Grounds in 1974. [17]

Following the 1956 Olympics, the stands were expanded and renovated, with work continuing until the early 1990s. [17] The manual scoreboard was replaced in 1982 by an electronic scoreboard made by Mitsubishi, and a still more advanced version was installed ten years later. [17] Another scoreboard, supplied by Sony, was installed at the south part of the Cricket Ground in 1994. [17] The Olympic Flame returned to the Grounds on 30 July 2000 during the torch relay for the 2000 Summer Olympics, for the first time since the 1956 Games, [17] and the Cricket Ground served as host for several football preliminary matches during the Sydney Games. [25] The flame returned once again for the 2004 Summer Olympics, [17] however the Olympic Stand was demolished in 2004.

The Cricket Ground served as the main venue for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne Cricket Ground</span> Sports stadium in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as The 'G, is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, with 95,000 seats and an additional 5,000 capacity in standing room for a total of just over 100,000 it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the 11th largest globally, and the second-largest cricket ground by capacity, after the Narendra Modi Stadium. The MCG is within walking distance of the city centre and is served by Richmond and Jolimont railway stations, as well as the route 70, route 75, and route 48 trams. It is adjacent to Melbourne Park and is part of the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1932 Summer Olympics</span> Multi-sport event in California, US

The 1932 Summer Olympics were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held during the worldwide Great Depression, with some nations not traveling to Los Angeles; 37 nations competed, compared to the 46 in the 1928 Games in Amsterdam, and even then-U.S. President Herbert Hoover did not attend the Games. The organizing committee did not report the financial details of the Games, although contemporary newspapers claimed that the Games had made a profit of US$1,000,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Commonwealth Games</span> Multi-sport event in Melbourne, Australia

The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held in Melbourne, Australia between 15 and 26 March 2006. It was the fourth time Australia had hosted the Commonwealth Games. It was also the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellerive Oval</span> Sports stadium

Bellerive Oval is a cricket and an Australian rules football ground located in Bellerive, a suburb on the eastern shore of Hobart, Australia. Holding 20,000 people, it is the largest capacity stadium in Tasmania. It is the only venue in Tasmania which hosts international cricket matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct</span> Sports and entertainment precinct

The Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct is a series of sports stadiums and venues, located in Melbourne, Victoria, in Australia. The precinct is situated around 3 km east of the Melbourne central business district, located in suburbs of Melbourne and Jolimont, near East Melbourne and Richmond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Gabba</span> Sports stadium in Brisbane, Australia

The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as the Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. The nickname Gabba derives from the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located. Over the years, the Gabba has hosted athletics, Australian rules football, baseball, concerts, cricket, cycling, rugby league, rugby union, Association football and pony and greyhound racing. At present, it serves as the home ground for the Queensland Bulls in domestic cricket, the Brisbane Heat of the Big Bash League and Women's Big Bash League, and the Brisbane Lions of the Australian Football League. It is also the secondary home of the Brisbane Broncos of the National Rugby League. The stadium will receive an upgrade for the 2032 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stockholm Olympic Stadium</span> Stadium and central venue for 1912 Olympic Games

Stockholm Olympic Stadium, most often called Stockholms stadion or simply Stadion, is a stadium in Stockholm, Sweden. Designed by architect Torben Grut, it was opened in 1912; its original use was as a venue for the 1912 Olympic Games. At the 1912 Games, it hosted athletics, some equestrian and football matches, gymnastics, the running part of the modern pentathlon, tug of war, and wrestling events. It has a capacity of 13,145–14,500 depending on usage and a capacity of nearly 33,000 for concerts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venues of the 2000 Summer Olympics</span>

For the 2000 Summer Olympics, a total of thirty sports venues were used. After Melbourne hosted the 1956 Summer Olympics, Australia made several bids for the Summer Olympics before finally winning the 2000 Summer Olympics by two votes over Beijing, China. Venue construction was set at the Homebush Bay area of Sydney in an effort to rehabilitate the land. Environmental studies of the area in the early 1990s forced remediation to be used for about a fifth of the site selected. Fifteen new venues were constructed for the Games. Many of the venues used for the 2000 Games continue to be in use as of 2020, although some of the pre-existing facilities have been demolished and replaced.

For the 1952 Summer Olympics, a total of twenty-four sports venues were used. Three of the venues were constructed for the 1940 Summer Olympics, but were postponed in the wake of World War II. Those venues were completed in time for the 1952 Games. The main stadium served as host to the World Athletics Championships in 1983 and in 2005. Two venues were purchased by the city of Helsinki after the Olympics, one changed from an exhibition center to a sports arena, and another changed from a sports arena to an art museum. With an annual average temperature of 5.9 °C, Helsinki is the coldest city to host the Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venues of the 1980 Winter Olympics</span>

For the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, United States, a total of seven sports venues were used. All five of the venues used for the 1932 Winter Olympics were also used at the 1980 Winter Games with adjustments. These adjustments included electronic scoreboards, increased refrigeration, and the addition of a separate luge track. This was the last Winter Olympics where there were separate bobsleigh and luge tracks. The closest finish in Olympic history in cross-country skiing led skiing officials to time future events in hundredths of a second rather than tenths of a second. This would also apply to biathlon events. Eric Heiden won five gold medals at the speed skating oval while the "Miracle on Ice" took place between Americans and Soviets at the Olympic Center. In the late 1990s, the luge track was demolished and a new combination track was constructed in time for the only Winter Goodwill Games held. The sliding venue was named to the American National Register of Historical Places in February 2010.

References

  1. ↑ "1956 Olympic Games". ballarat.vic.gov.au. City of Ballarat. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 1956 Summer Olympics official report. Archived 2008-09-12 at the Wayback Machine p. 47. Accessed 25 October 2010.
  3. 1 2 1956 Summer Olympics official report. Archived 2008-09-12 at the Wayback Machine p. 42. Accessed 25 October 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 1956 Summer Olympics official report. Archived 2008-09-12 at the Wayback Machine pp. 41-2. Accessed 25 October 2010.
  5. ↑ 1956 Summer Olympics official report. Archived 2008-09-12 at the Wayback Machine p. 40. Accessed 25 October 2010.
  6. ↑ 1956 Summer Olympics official report. Archived 2008-09-12 at the Wayback Machine pp. 46-7. Accessed 25 October 2010.
  7. ↑ 1956 Summer Olympics official report. Archived 2008-09-12 at the Wayback Machine p. 46. Accessed 25 October 2010.
  8. ↑ 1956 Summer Olympics official report. Archived 2008-09-12 at the Wayback Machine p. 43. Accessed 25 October 2010.
  9. ↑ 1956 Summer Olympics official report. Archived 2008-09-12 at the Wayback Machine p. 44. Accessed 25 October 2010.
  10. ↑ 1956 Summer Olympics official report. Archived 2008-09-12 at the Wayback Machine p. 45. Accessed 25 October 2010.
  11. 1 2 1956 Summer Olympics equestrian official report. p. 96. Accessed 25 October 2010.
  12. ↑ 1956 Summer Olympics official equestrian report. p. 41. Accessed 25 October 2010. (in Swedish)
  13. ↑ 1912 Summer Olympics official report. Archived 2008-04-10 at the Wayback Machine pp. 168-211. Accessed 26 October 2010.
  14. ↑ 1956 Summer Olympics official equestrian report. p. 18. Accessed 26 October 2010. (in English and Swedish)
  15. ↑ History of Lake Wendouree. Archived 2008-04-22 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 26 October 2010.
  16. ↑ Early history of the Melbourne Cricket Grounds. Accessed 26 October 2010.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Chronology of the Melbourne Cricket Grounds. Accessed 26 October 2010.
  18. ↑ Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2008). The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition. London: Aurum Press Limited. pp. 86, 96-7.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Melbourne & Olympic Parks Tourism history. Archived 2011-02-18 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 26 October 2010.
  20. ↑ Overall history of the Royal Exhibition Building. Accessed 26 October 2010.
  21. ↑ Two World Fairs at the Royal Exhibition Building. Accessed 26 October 2010.
  22. 1 2 3 4 20th century history of the Royal Exhibition Building. Accessed 26 October 2010.
  23. ↑ Cricket Returns to Olympic Movement, SportingLife.com, May 11, 2010
  24. ↑ World Heritage Site Listing of the Royal Exhibition Building. Accessed 26 October 2010.
  25. ↑ 2000 Summer Olympics official report. Archived 2000-11-09 at the Wayback Machine Volume 1. p. 393. Accessed 26 October 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.