# Australia at the 1956 Summer Olympics

Australia was the host nation for the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. However, due to Australian quarantine restrictions the equestrian events were held in Stockholm, Sweden. 294 competitors, 250 men and 44 women, took part in 140 events in 18 sports.

## Medalists
### Gold

* Betty Cuthbert – athletics, women's 100 metres
* Betty Cuthbert – athletics, women's 200 metres
* Shirley Strickland – athletics, women's 80 m Hurdles
* Norma Croker, Betty Cuthbert, Fleur Wenham, and Shirley Strickland – athletics, women's 4 × 100 m Relay
* Joey Browne and Anthony Marchant — Cycling, men's 2000 m Tandem
* Jon Henricks — Swimming, men's 100 m Freestyle
* Murray Rose — Swimming, men's 400 m Freestyle
* Murray Rose — Swimming, men's 1500 m Freestyle
* David Theile — Swimming, men's 100 m Backstroke
* John Devitt, Jon Henricks, Kevin O'Halloran, and Murray Rose — Swimming, men's 4 × 200 m Freestyle Relay
* Dawn Fraser — Swimming, women's 100 m Freestyle
* Lorraine Crapp — Swimming, women's 400 m Freestyle
* Lorraine Crapp, Dawn Fraser, Faith Leech, and Sandra Morgan — Swimming, women's 4 × 100 m Freestyle Relay

### Silver

* Graham Gipson, Kevan Gosper, Leon Gregory, and David Lean – athletics, men's 4 × 400 m Relay
* Chilla Porter – athletics, men's High Jump
* Stuart Mackenzie – rowing, men's Single Sculls
* John Devitt — Swimming, men's 100 m Freestyle
* John Monckton — Swimming, men's 100 m Backstroke
* Lorraine Crapp — Swimming, women's 100 m Freestyle
* Dawn Fraser — Swimming, women's 400 m Freestyle
* John Scott and Roland Tasker — Sailing, men's Sharpie 12 m²

### Bronze

* Hector Hogan – athletics, men's 100 metres
* John Landy – athletics, men's 1500 metres
* Allan Lawrence – athletics, men's 10.000 metres
* Norma Thrower – athletics, women's 80 m Hurdles
* Marlene Mathews – athletics, women's 100 metres
* Marlene Mathews – athletics, women's 200 metres
* Kevin Hogarth — Boxing, men's Welterweight
* Walter Brown and Dennis Green – canoeing, men's K2 10,000 m Kayak Pairs
* Dick Ploog — Cycling, men's 1000 m Sprint (Scratch)
* Murray Riley and Mervyn Wood – rowing, men's Double Sculls
* Michael Aikman, Angus Benfield, David Boykett, Bryan Doyle, Harold Hewitt, Jim Howden, Walter Howell, Garth Manton, and Adrian Monger – rowing, men's Eights
* Gary Chapman — Swimming, men's 100 m Freestyle
* Faith Leech — Swimming, women's 100 m Freestyle
* Douglas Buxton, Devereaux Mytton, Ernest Wagstaff and Jock Sturrock — Sailing, men's 5½ Meter Class

## Athletics
### Track & road events

| Athlete | Event | Heat | Heat | Quarterfinal | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Semifinal | Final | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank |
| Ted Allsopp | 20 km walk | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1:35:43.0 | 10 |
| Ted Allsopp | 50 km walk | — | — | — | — | — | — | DSQ | DSQ |
| James Bailey | 800 m | 1:51.1 | 1 Q | — | — | 1:51.4 | 7 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Jim Bailey | 1500 m | DNS | DNS | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Ron Blackney | 3000 m steeplechase | 9:16.0 | 10 | — | — | — | — | DNF | DNF |
| Bill Butchart | 800 m | 1:51.6 | 3 Q | — | — | 1:53.8 | 4 Q | 1:52.0 | 8 |
| Gavin Carragher | 100 m | 11.36 | 4 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| John Chittick | 110 m hurdles | 15.18 | 5 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Ronald Crawford | 20 km walk | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1:39:35.0 | 13 |
| Ronald Crawford | 50 km walk | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5:22:36.0 | 13 |
| Kenneth Doubleday | 110 m hurdles | 14.98 | 5 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Graham Gipson | 200 m | 22.06 | 3 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Graham Gipson | 400 m | 47.87 | 2 Q | 47.45 | 4 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Geoff Goodacre | 400 m hurdles | 52.5 | 3 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| John Goodman | 400 m | 48.73 | 4 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Kevan Gosper | 400 m | 48.07 | 1 Q | 46.83 | 1 Q | 46.45 | 4 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Hec Hogan | 100 m | 10.72 | 1 Q | 10.78 | 1 Q | 10.62 | 3 Q | 10.77 | |
| Hec Hogan | 200 m | 21.97 | 2 Q | 21.90 | 4 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Bob Joyce | 110 m hurdles | 15.02 | 6 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Don Keane | 20 km walk | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | 1:33:52.0 | 6 |
| Ray Land | 100 m | 11.05 | 2 Q | 11.15 | 6 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| John Landy | 1500 m | 3:48.6 | 3 Q | — | — | — | — | 3:42.0 | |
| John Landy | 5000 metres | DNS | DNS | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Allan Lawrence | 5000 metres | 14:14.67 | 1 Q | — | — | — | — | DNS | DNS |
| Allan Lawrence | 10000 metres | — | — | — | — | — | — | 28:53.6 | |
| David Lean | 400 m hurdles | 51.4 | 2 Q | — | — | 51.4 | 2 Q | 51.8 | 5 |
| Mervyn Lincoln | 1500 m | 3:45.4 | 1 Q | — | — | — | — | 3:51.9 | 12 |
| Donald MacMillan | 800 m | 1:53.4 | 4 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Keith Ollerenshaw | Marathon | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2:48:12 | 25 |
| Ross Parker | 400 m hurdles | 53.5 | 1 Q | — | — | 52.6 | 6 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Les Perry | Marathon | — | — | — | — | — | — | DNF | DNF |
| David Power | 10000 metres | — | — | — | — | — | — | 29:49.6 | 7 |
| Neil Robbins | 3000 m steeplechase | 8:55.62 | 5 Q | — | — | — | — | 8:50.36 | 7 |
| John Russell | Marathon | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2:41:44 | 18 |
| Ray Smith | 50 km walk | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4:56:08.0 | 6 |
| Dave Stephens | 10000 metres | — | — | — | — | — | — | NT | 20 |
| Albie Thomas | 5000 metres | 14:14.41 | 1 Q | — | — | — | — | 14:05.03 | 5 |
| Graham Thomas | 3000 m steeplechase | 9:09.80 | 10 | — | — | — | — | DNF | DNF |
| Douglas Winston | 200 m | 22.20 | 3 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Gavin Carragher Edward McGlynn Ray Land Hector Hogan | 4×100 m relay | 40.72 | 1 Q | — | — | 40.72 | 4 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Leon Gregory Graham Gipson Kevan Gosper David Lean John Goodman | 4×400 m relay | 3:10.57 | 2 Q | — | — | — | — | 3:06.19 | |

### Field events

| Athlete | Event | Qualification | Qualification | Final | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Distance | Position | Distance | Position |
| James Achurch | Javelin throw | 57.09 | 21 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Vesmonis Balodis | Discus throw | 44.24 | 20 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Ian Bruce | Long jump | 6.91 | 23 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Martin Crowe | Hammer throw | 48.43 | 21 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Peter Denton | Pole vault | 3.85 | 18 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Barry Donath | Shot put | 16.57 | 4 Q | 16.52 | 9 |
| Neville Gadsen | Hammer throw | 48.84 | 20 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Bob Grant | Javelin throw | 65.76 | 16 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Ronald Gray | Triple jump | 14.46 | 25 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Robert Hanlin | Shot put | 15.62 | 11 Q | 16.08 | 11 |
| Hugh Jack | Long jump | 6.90 | 24 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Charlie Morris | Hammer throw | 49.35 | 19 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Mike Moroney | Long jump | 7.09 | 19 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Brian Oliver | Triple jump | 14.74 | 23 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Bruce Peever | Pole vault | 3.85 | 17 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Chilla Porter | High jump | 1.92 | 4 Q | 2.10 | |
| Maurice Rich | Triple jump | 14.26 | 27 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Colin Ridgway | High jump | 1.92 | 16 Q | 2.00 | 7 |
| John Vernon | High jump | 1.82 | 24 | Did not advance | Did not advance |

### Combined events – Decathlon

| Athlete | Event | 100 m | LJ | SP | HJ | 400 m | 100H | DT | PV | JT | 1500 m | Final | Rank |
| Ian Bruce | Result | 11.7 | 6.62 | 12.30 | 1.83 | 51.3 | 15.9 | 36.62 | 3.40 | 51.38 | 4:50.4 | 6025 | 11 |
| Ian Bruce | Points | 678 | 672 | 609 | 806 | 751 | 612 | 536 | 476 | 554 | 331 | 6025 | 11 |
| John Cann | Result | 10.9 | 6.57 | 12.18 | 1.70 | 49.3 | 15.6 | 38.76 | 2.70 | 57.89 | 4:49.2 | 6278 | 10 |
| John Cann | Points | 948 | 659 | 598 | 656 | 900 | 673 | 592 | 226 | 686 | 340 | 6278 | 10 |
| Pat Leane | Result | 11.4 | 6.79 | 13.26 | 1.86 | 51.0 | 16.4 | 38.86 | 3.50 | 58.83 | 4:56.8 | 6427 | 9 |
| Pat Leane | Points | 768 | 722 | 696 | 845 | 772 | 523 | 595 | 516 | 706 | 284 | 6427 | 9 |

### Track & road events

| Athlete | Event | Heat | Heat | Quarterfinal | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Semifinal | Final | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank |
| Gloria Cooke | 80 m hurdles | 11.4 | 3 Q | — | — | 11.1 | 3 Q | 11.4 | 6 |
| Betty Cuthbert | 100 m | 11.4 OR | 1 Q | — | — | 12.0 | 2 Q | 11.5 | |
| Betty Cuthbert | 200 m | 23.5 | 1 Q | — | — | 23.6 | 1 Q | 23.4 | |
| Norma Croker | 200 m | 24.9 | 2 Q | — | — | 24.3 | 3 Q | 24.0 | 4 |
| Marlene Mathews-Willard | 100 m | 11.5 | 1 Q | — | — | 11.6 | 1 Q | 11.7 | |
| Marlene Mathews-Willard | 200 m | 24.0 | 1 Q | — | — | 24.3 | 2 Q | 23.8 | |
| Shirley Strickland de la Hunty | 100 m | 11.7 | 3 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Shirley Strickland de la Hunty | 80 m hurdles | 10.8 | 1 Q | — | — | 10.8 | 1 Q | 10.7 | |
| Norma Thrower | 80 m hurdles | 10.8 OR | 1 Q | — | — | 11.0 | 2 Q | 11.0 | |
| Norma Croker Betty Cuthbert Fleur Mellor Shirley Strickland de la Hunty | 4×100 m relay | 44.9 WR | 1 Q | — | — | — | — | 44.5 WR | |

### Field events

| Athlete | Event | Qualification | Qualification | Final | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Distance | Position | Distance | Position |
| Carole Bernoth | High jump | 1.58 | 14 Q | 1.60 | 14 |
| Nancy Borwick | Long jump | 5.80 | 5 Q | 5.82 | 8 |
| Mary Breen | Shot put | 11.28 | 18 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Janice Cooper | High jump | 1.58 | 18 Q | 1.55 | 15 |
| Shirley Cotton | Discus throw | 40.76 | 17 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| June Heath | Javelin throw | 38.10 | 19 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Heather Innes | Javelin throw | 38.72 | 18 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Lois Jackman | Discus throw | 42,21 | 13 Q | 40.84 | 13 |
| Margaret Johnson | Long jump | 5.59 | 16 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Valerie Dawn Lawrence | Shot put | 13.43 | 10 Q | 13.12 | 13 |
| Valerie Dawn Lawrence | Discus throw | 36.61 | 21 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Michele Mason | High jump | 1.58 | 7 Q | 1.67 | 6 |
| Erica Willis | Long jump | 5.64 | 14 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Margaret Woodlock | Shot put | 11.70 | 17 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Maureen Wright | Javelin throw | 38.81 | 17 | Did not advance | Did not advance |

## Basketball
### Preliminary round
#### Group D

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Brazil | 2 | 2 | 0 | 167 | 125 | +42 | 4 | Quarterfinals |
| 2 | Chile | 2 | 1 | 1 | 137 | 134 | +3 | 3 | Quarterfinals |
| 3 | Australia (H) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 122 | 167 | −45 | 2 | 9th–15th classification round |
| Brazil | 89–66 | Australia |
| Scoring by half: 50–35, 39–31 |||
| Chile | 78–56 | Australia |
| Scoring by half: 37–27, 41–29 |||

### Classification 9–15
#### Group 1

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Formosa | 3 | 3 | 0 | 218 | 189 | +29 | 6 | 9th–12th classification playoffs |
| 2 | Australia (H) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 258 | 208 | +50 | 5 | 9th–12th classification playoffs |
| 3 | Singapore | 3 | 1 | 2 | 200 | 215 | −15 | 4 | 13th–16th classification playoffs |
| 4 | Thailand | 3 | 0 | 3 | 150 | 214 | −64 | 3 | 13th–16th classification playoffs |
| Australia | 87–48 | Thailand |
| Scoring by half: 48–23, 39–25 |||
| Australia | 73–86 | Formosa |
| Scoring by half: 40–39, 33–47 |||
| Australia | 98–74 | Singapore |
| Scoring by half: 48–36, 50–38 |||

### Classification matches

* 01.12
| Canada | 83–38 | Australia |
* 01.12
| Formosa | 87–70 | Australia |
Team Roster
** Peter Demos
** Geoff Heskett
** Peter Bumbers
** Stan Dargis
** Inga Freidenfelds
** Colin Burdett
** George Dancis
** Peter Sutton
** Algis Ignatavicius
** Merv Moy
** Ken Finch
** Bruce Flick
* Head coach: Ken Watson

## Boxing
### Men

| Athlete | Event | 1 Round | 2 Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Rank |
| Warner Batchelor | Flyweight | BYE | Henryk Kukier (POL) W P | John Caldwell (IRL) L P | Did not advance | Did not advance | 5 |
| Robert Bath | Bantamweight | Henry Jayasuriya (CEY) W P | Song Soon-Chun (KOR) L P | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Noel Hazard | Featherweight | BYE | Thomas Nicholls (GBR) L P | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| William Griffiths | Lightweight | BYE | Louis Molina (USA) L P | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Max Carlos | Light Welterweight | BYE | Joseph Shaw (USA) L P | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Kevin Hogarth | Welterweight | Graham Finlay (NZL) W P | — | András Dori (HUN) W P | Fred Tiedt (IRL) L P | — | |
| Peter Read | Light Middleweight | José Torres (USA) L P | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Howard Richter | Middleweight | Július Torma (TCH) L P | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Anthony Madigan | Light Heavyweight | BYE | BYE | Romualdas Murauskas (URS) L P | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |

## Canoeing
### Sprint
#### Men

| Athlete | Event | Heats | Heats | Final | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank | Time | Rank |
| Bryan Harper | C-1 1000 m | — | — | 5:37.6 | 7 |
| Bryan Harper | C-1 10000 m | — | — | 1:02:12.1 | 9 |
| William Jones Thomas Ohman | C-2 1000 m | 5:04.6 | 2 Q | 5:03.0 | 5 |
| William Jones Thomas Ohman | C-2 10000 m | — | — | 56:18.6 | 7 |
| Barry Stuart | K-1 1000 m | 4:30.1 | 3 Q | 4:30.7 | 9 |
| Max Baldwin | K-1 10000 m | — | — | 51:49.7 | 9 |
| Walter Brown Dennis Green | K-2 1000 m | 4:03.0 | 1 Q | 3:59.1 | 7 |
| Walter Brown Dennis Green | K-2 10000 m | — | — | 43:43.2 | |

#### Women

| Athlete | Event | Heats | Heats | Final | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank | Time | Rank |
| Edith Cochrane | K-1 500 m | 2:24.0 | 3 Q | 2:23.8 | 5 |

## Cycling
### Road

| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank |
| John O'Sullivan | Men's road race | 5:36:58 | 41 |
| Jim Nevin | Men's road race | 5:47:02 | 44 |
| Jim Nestor | Men's road race | DNF | DNF |
| Jack Trickey | Men's road race | DNF | DNF |
| John O'Sullivan Jim Nevin Jim Nestor Jack Trickey | Team road race | DNF | DNF |

### Track
#### 1000m time trial

| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank |
| Warren Scarfe | Men's 1000m time trial | 1:12.1 | 4 |

#### Sprint

| Athlete | Event | Heats | Repechage 1 | Repechage finals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Time Speed (km/h) | Rank | Opposition Time Speed (km/h) | Opposition Time Speed (km/h) | Opposition Time Speed (km/h) | Opposition Time Speed (km/h) | Rank |
| Dick Ploog | Men's sprint | Godefroid (BEL) Văn Phước (VIE) W 11.40 WR | BYE | BYE | Disney (USA) W 12.4 11.6 | Pesenti (ITA) L 12.2 | Johnston (NZL) W 11.6 11.4 | |

#### Tandem

| Athlete | Event | Heats | Repechage | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Opposition Time Speed (km/h) | Opposition Time Speed (km/h) | Opposition Time Speed (km/h) | Opposition Time Speed (km/h) | Opposition Time Speed (km/h) | Rank |
| Anthony Marchant Joey Browne | Tandem | Robinson Shardelow (RSA) Neuser Ziegler (EUA) L | Fouček Machek (TCH) L | Robinson Shardelow (RSA) W 10.8 | Pinarello Ogna (ITA) W 10.8 | Fouček Machek (TCH) W10.8 | |

#### Pursuit

| Athlete | Event | Qualification | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Opposition Time | Opposition Time | Opposition Time | Opposition Time | Rank |
| Cliff Burvill Frank Brazier Roy Moore Warren Scarfe | Men's team pursuit | France (FRA) L OT | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | 9 |

## Diving
### Men

| Athlete | Event | Preliminaries | Preliminaries | Final | Final | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Points | Rank | Points | Rank | Total |
| Ronald Faulds | 3 m springboard | 68.84 | 20 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Barry Holmes | 10m platform | 58.01 | 22 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Joseph McCann | 3 m springboard | 69.18 | 19 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Francis Murphy | 10m platform | 66.29 | 17 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| William Tully | 10m platform | 65.49 | 18 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Arthur Winther | 3 m springboard | 71.04 | 17 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |

### Women

| Athlete | Event | Preliminaries | Preliminaries | Final | Final | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Points | Rank | Points | Rank | Total |
| Rosalyn Barton | 3 m springboard | 58.50 | 15 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Rosalyn Barton | 10m platform | 41.96 | 15 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Pat Howard | 3 m springboard | 53.89 | 17 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Barbara McAulay | 3 m springboard | 60.19 | 13 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Barbara McAulay | 10m platform | 45.67 | 14 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Adele Price | 10m platform | 35.28 | 18 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |

## Fencing

21 fencers, 18 men and 3 women, represented Australia in 1956.

### Men

Ranks given are within the pool.
| Fencer | Event | Elimination round | Elimination round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| Fencer | Event | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank |
| Laurence Harding-Smith | Men's épée | | | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | |
| Ivan Lund | Men's épée | | | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | |
| Richard Stone | Men's épée | | | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | |
| Brian McCowage | Men's foil | | | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | |
| David McKenzie | Men's foil | | | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | |
| Michael Sichel | Men's foil | | | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | |
| Leslie Fadgyas | Men's sabre | Darè (ITA) Hoskyns (GBR) Van Der Auwera (BEL) Asselin (CAN) del Carmen (COL) | 3 Q | Pawłowski (POL) Darè (ITA) Worth (USA) Kuznetsov (URS) Cooperman (GBR) Gamot (FRA) | 7 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | 25 |
| Graham McKenzie | Men's sabre | Ferrari (ITA) Porebski (GBR) Kwartler (USA) Yanguas (COL) | 4 Q | Kárpáti (HUN) Roulot (FRA) Zabłocki (POL) Stratmann (GER) Nyilas (USA) Hoskyns (GBR) | 7 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | 24 |
| Sandor Szoke | Men's sabre | Narduzzi (ITA) Goliardi (URU) Worth (USA) Ramos (MEX) Sano (JPN) | 6 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | 30 |
| James Wolfensohn Ivan Lund Keith Hackshall Hilbert Van Dijk | Team épée | Great Britain (GBR) L 3-9 Italy (ITA) L 5-11 United States (USA) L | 4 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | 9 |
| Ray Buckingham Brian McCowage Rod Steel David McKenzie Michael Sichel Tom Cross | Team foil | United States (USA) L 3-13 Hungary (HUN) L 8-8 | 3 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | 8 |
| Leslie Fadgyas Alexander Martonffy Emeric Santo Leslie Kovacs Sandor Szoke | Team sabre | France (FRA) L 1-9 Soviet Union (URS) L 2-14 | 3 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | 8 |

### Women

Ranks given are within the pool.
| Fencer | Event | Elimination round | Elimination round | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| Fencer | Event | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank |
| Joy Hardon | Women's foil | Sheen (GBR) Orban-Szabo (ROU) Garilhe (FRA) Lachmann (DEN) Rastvorova (URS) Goodrich (USA) Nyári-Kovács (HUN) | 8 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | 23 |
| Lois Joseph | Women's foil | York-Romary (USA) Müller-Preis (AUT) Colombetti-Peroncini (ITA) Roldán (MEX) Orb-Lazăr (ROU) Shitikova (URS) Veronnet (FRA) | 8 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | 22 |
| Denise O'Brien | Women's foil | Mitchell (USA) Yefimova (URS) Sákovicsné Dömölky (HUN) Delbarre (FRA) Cesari (ITA) Glen-Haig (GBR) | 7 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | 19 |

## Football
### Men's team squads

Head coach: Richard Telfer
| No. | Pos. | Player | DoB | Age | Caps | Club | Tournament games | Tournament goals | Minutes played | Sub off | Sub on | Cards yellow/red |
| 1 | GK | Billy Henderson | November 23, 1929 | 26 | 5 | Granville | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 |
| 2 | GK | Ron Lord | August 25, 1929 | 27 | 1 | Auburn | 2 | 0 | 180 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | FW | Col Kitching | November 11, 1933 | 22 | 2 | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 |
| 4 | MF | Pete Stone | | | 0 | Bankstown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 |
| 5 | MF | Ted Smith | September 24, 1935 | 21 | 0 | | 2 | 0 | 180 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | | George Arthur | 1925 | 31 | 0 | Wallsend FC | 2 | 0 | 180 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | | Bill Harburn | | | 0 | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 |
| 8 | | Alwyn Warren | November 1, 1931 | 25 | 1 | | 2 | 0 | 180 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | | Alastair Rattray | February 16, 1925 | 31 | 0 | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 |
| 10 | | Alec Beattie | | | 0 | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 |
| 11 | DF | Bob Bignall | March 14, 1922 | 34 | 5 | Corrimal | 2 | 0 | 180 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 | DF | John Pettigrew | October 31, 1934 | 21 | 1 | | 2 | 0 | 180 | 0 | 0 | |
| 13 | MF | Francis Loughran | January 31, 1931 | 25 | 3 | Moreland F.C. | 2 | 1 | 180 | 0 | 0 | |
| 14 | | Bob Wemyss | July 1, 1928 | 28 | 0 | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 |
| 15 | MF | Jack Lennard | April 2, 1930 | 26 | 3 | Cessnock | 2 | 0 | 180 | 0 | 0 | |
| 16 | MF | Brian Vogler | May 30, 1932 | 24 | 0 | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 |
| 17 | FW | Bruce Morrow | May 5, 1936 | 20 | 0 | Wallsend FC | 2 | 2 | 180 | 0 | 0 | |
| 18 | | Con Purser | August 2, 1931 | 25 | 1 | North Perth | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 |
| 19 | FW | Graham McMillan | January 21, 1936 | 20 | 0 | | 2 | 1 | 180 | 0 | 0 | |
| 20 | | Cliff Sander | November 11, 1931 | 25 | 6 | | 2 | 0 | 180 | 0 | 0 | |

## Hockey
### Preliminary round
#### Pool B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Great Britain | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 | Advanced to Semi-finals |
| 2 | Australia (H) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 4 | |
| 3 | Malaya | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 2 | |
| 4 | Kenya | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 2 | |
* 23 November 1956 14:30
| Australia | 2–0 | Kenya |
| Dick 5' E. Pearce 64' | Report | |
* Umpires: Ernst-Ludwig Nack (GER) K. Hamilton (NZL)
* 26 November 1956 16:00
| Malaya | 2–3 | Australia |
| Aman 32', 63' | Report | Spackman 12' E. Pearce 18', 51' |
* Umpires: Birendra Ghosh (IND) Gian Singh (IND)
* 29 November 1956 16:00
| Australia | 1–2 | Great Britain |
| E. Pearce 60' | Report | Forster 18', 50' |
* Umpires: Gian Singh (IND) Birendra Ghosh (IND)

##### Play–off match

* At the conclusion of the pool stage, Australia and Great Britain finished equal on points, resulting in a play–off match to determine number one position in the pool.
* 1 December 1956 14:00
| Australia | 0–1 | Great Britain |
| | Report | Conroy 55' |
* Umpires: Gian Singh (IND) Birendra Ghosh (IND)

### Men's Team Competition

* Team Roster
** Alan Barblett
** Geoffrey Bennett
** Brian Booth
** Kevin Carton
** Kenneth Clarke
** Ian Dick
** John Dwyer
** Maurice Foley
** Louis Hailey
** Glen Jobson
** Dennis Kemp
** Keith Leeson
** Donald Mecklem
** Eric Pearce
** Gordon Pearce
** Melville Pearce
** Kenneth Reid
** Raymond Whiteside

## Modern pentathlon

Three male pentathletes represented Australia in 1956.

### Individual

* Neville Sayers
* Sven Coomer
* George Nicoll

### Team

* Neville Sayers
* Sven Coomer
* George Nicoll

## Rowing

Australia had 26 male rowers participate in all seven rowing events in 1956.

### Men

| Athlete | Event | Heats | Heats | Repechage | Repechage | Semifinal | Semifinal | Final | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank |
| Stuart Mackenzie | Single sculls | 7:28.8 | 2 Q | BYE | BYE | 9:19.5 | 2 Q | 8:07.7 | |
| Murray Riley Mervyn Wood | Double sculls | 7:01.2 | 3 R | 8:12.2 | 1 Q | BYE | BYE | 7:37.4 | |
| Peter Raper Maurice Grace | Coxless pair | 7:37.2 | 2 Q | BYE | BYE | 8:48.2 | 2 Q | 8:22.2 | 4 |
| Robert Duncan Bruce Dickson John Cockbill | Coxed pair | 8:15.9 | 2 Q | BYE | BYE | 9:37.7 | 3 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| John Harrison Peter Evatt Geoff Williamson Dave Anderson | Coxless four | 6:52.7 | 3 R | 8:10.4 | 1 Q | 8:22.4 | 4 | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Gordon Cowey Kevin McMahon Reg Libbis Mick Allen John Jenkinson | Coxed four | 7:01.9 | 2 Q | BYE | BYE | 7:59.8 | 2 Q | 7:31.1 | 4 |
| Michael Aikman David Boykett Angus Benfield Jim Howden Garth Manton Walter Howell Adrian Monger Bryan Doyle Harold Hewitt | Eight | 6:05.8 | 1 Q | BYE | BYE | 6:55.6 | 2 Q | 6:39,2 | |

## Sailing
### Open

| Athlete | Event | Race | Race | Race | Race | Race | Race | Race | Net points | Final rank |
| Athlete | Event | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Net points | Final rank |
| Colin Ryrie | Finn | 4 | 13 | 11 | DNF | 7 | 14 | 5 | 2965 | 10 |
| Rolly Tasker John Scott | 12m² Sharpie | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | DSQ | 6086 | |
| Robert French Jack Downey | Star | 8 | 9 | 12 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 1409 | 9 |
| Graham Horace Drane Brian Carolan Jim Carolan | Dragon | 2 | 10 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 3769 | 5 |
| Jock Sturrock Devereaux Mytton Douglas Buxton | 5.5 Metre | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4022 | |

## Shooting

Twelve shooters represented Australia in 1956.

### Men

| Athlete | Event | Final | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Score | Rank |
| Colin Anderson | 100m running deer | 357 | 10 |
| John Bryant | Trap | 176 | 9 |
| Norman Goff | 300 m rifle | 1010 | 17 |
| Noel Hall | 100m running deer | 339 | 11 |
| Rodney Johnson | 50 m pistol | 506 | 27 |
| Johnnie Maitland | 25 m pistol | 526 | 28 |
| Clement Mudford | Trap | 164 | 20 |
| Peter Papps | 25 m pistol | 469 | 35 |
| Norman Rule | 50 m rifle, three positions | 1114 | 34 |
| Norman Rule | 50 m rifle, prone | 594 | 22 |
| Don Tolhurst | 50 m rifle, three positions | 1131 | 27 |
| Don Tolhurst | 50 m rifle, prone | 596 | 10 |
| Len Tolhurst | 50 m pistol | 541 | 8 |
| Ian Wrigley | 300 m rifle | 1021 | 16 |

## Swimming
### Men

| Athlete | Event | Heat | Heat | Semifinal | Semifinal | Final | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank |
| Gary Chapman | 100 metre freestyle | 57.8 | 1 Q | 56.9 | 2 Q | 56.7 | |
| John Devitt | 100 metre freestyle | 57.2 | 1 Q | 56.4 | 2 Q | 55.8 | |
| Murray Garretty | 1500 metre freestyle | 18:27.4 | 1 Q | — | — | 18:26.5 | 4 |
| Terry Gathercole | 200 metre breaststroke | 2:40.2 | 2 Q | — | — | 2:38.7 | 4 |
| Kevin O'Halloran | 400 metre freestyle | 4:36.9 | 1 Q | — | — | 4:32.9 | 4 |
| John Hayres | 100 metre backstroke | 1:04.4 | 2 Q | 1:05.0 | 2 Q | 1:05.0 | 5 |
| Jon Henricks | 100 metre freestyle | 57.3 | 1 Q | 55.7 | 1 Q | 55.4 WR | |
| John Marshall | 200 metre butterfly | 2:26.8 | 2 Q | — | — | 2:27.2 | 5 |
| John Monckton | 100 metre backstroke | 1:03.4 | 1 Q | 1:04.1 | 1 Q | 1:03.2 | |
| Murray Rose | 400 metre freestyle | 4:31.7 | 1 Q | — | — | 4:27.3 WR | |
| Murray Rose | 1500 metre freestyle | 18:04.1 | 1 Q | — | — | 17:58.9 | |
| David Theile | 100 metre backstroke | 1:04.3 | 1 Q | 1:04.8 | 2 Q | 1:02.2 WR | |
| Gary Winram | 400 metre freestyle | 4:34.5 | 1 Q | — | — | 4:34.9 | 6 |
| Gary Winram | 1500 metre freestyle | 18:35.7 | 1 Q | — | — | 19:06.2 | 8 |
| Brian Wilkinson | 200 metre butterfly | 2:27.2 | 2 Q | — | — | 2:29.7 | 7 |
| Kevin O'Halloran John Devitt Murray Rose Jon Henricks Gary Chapman Murray Garretty Graham Hamilton | 4x100 m freestyle relay | 8:40.2 | 3 Q | — | — | 8:23.6 WR | |

### Women

| Athlete | Event | Heat | Heat | Semifinal | Semifinal | Final | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank |
| Beverley Bainbridge | 100 metre butterfly | 1:14.4 | 1 Q | — | — | 1:15.2 | 5 |
| Gergaynia Beckett | 100 metre backstroke | 1:14.8 | 2 Q | — | — | 1:14.7 | 8 |
| Lorraine Crapp | 100 metre freestyle | 1:03.4 | 2 Q OR | 1:03.1 | 2 Q | 1:02.4 | |
| Lorraine Crapp | 400 metre freestyle | 5:00.2 | 1 Q | — | — | 4:54.6 CR | |
| Barbara Evans | 200 metre breaststroke | 3:03.6 | 12 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Dawn Fraser | 100 metre freestyle | 1:02.4 | 1 Q OR | 1:03.0 | 1 Q | 1:02.0 WR | |
| Dawn Fraser | 400 metre freestyle | 5:02.5 | 1 Q | — | — | 5:02.5 | |
| Maureen Giles | 100 metre butterfly | 1:19.4 | 5 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Patricia Huntingford | 100 metre backstroke | 1:16.0 | 5 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Faith Leech | 100 metre freestyle | 1:04.9 | 3 Q | 1:05.2 | 3 Q | 1:05.1 | |
| Sandra Morgan | 400 metre freestyle | 5:07.8 | 2 Q | — | — | 5:14.3 | 6 |
| Pam Singleton | 100 metre backstroke | 1:17.0 | 6 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Dawn Fraser Faith Leech Sandra Morgan Lorraine Crapp Margaret Gibson Elizabeth Fraser | 4x100 m freestyle relay | 4:25.0 | 1 Q | — | — | 4:17.1 WR | |

## Water polo
### Preliminary round

The preliminary round consisted of a round-robin tournament held in three groups. Each team played the other teams in its group once.

#### Group A

| Nation | Pld. | Win | Loss | Tie | GF | GA | Points |
| Yugoslavia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 5 | 6 |
| Soviet Union | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 4 |
| Romania | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 2 |
| Australia | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 0 |
28 November
* 14:00 - Romania def. Australia, 4-2
29 November
* 22:15 - Yugoslavia def. Australia, 9-1
30 November
* 16:00 - Soviet Union def. Australia, 3-0

### Consolation

| Rank | Nation | Pld. | Win | Loss | Tie | GF | GA | Points |
| 7 | Great Britain | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 9 | 6 |
| 8 | Romania | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 8 | 4 |
| 9 | Australia | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 2 |
| 10 | Singapore | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 29 | 0 |
* Great Britain def. Australia, 5-2
* Australia def. Singapore, 3-2
* Romania def. Australia, 4-2

## Weightlifting
### Men

| Athlete | Event | Military Press | Military Press | Snatch | Snatch | Clean & jerk | Clean & jerk | Total | Rank |
| Athlete | Event | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Total | Rank |
| Charles Henderson | 56 kg | 72.5 | 15 | 85 | 9 | 115 | 10 | 272.5 | 13 |
| Keith Caple | 60 kg | 87.5 | 19 | 90 | 17 | 110 | 17 | 287.5 | 16 |
| Vern Barberis | 67.5 kg | 105 | 13 | 105 | 10 | 137.5 | 9 | 347.5 | 11 |
| Fred Baugh | 75 kg | 107.5 | 11 | 95 | 15 | 122.5 | 13 | 325 | 13 |
| John Powell | 82.5 kg | 120 | 8 | 117.5 | 7 | 145 | 8 | 382.5 | 8 |
| Leonard Treganowan | 90 kg | 122.5 | 8 | 117.5 | 8 | 150 | 9 | 390 | 8 |