# Wrestling at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle bantamweight

The men's freestyle bantamweight competition at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne took place from 28 November to 1 December at the Royal Exhibition Building. Nations were limited to one competitor. Bantamweight was the second-lightest category, including wrestlers weighing 52 to 57 kilograms (114.6 to 125.7 lb).

## Competition format

This freestyle wrestling competition continued to use the "bad points" elimination system introduced at the 1928 Summer Olympics for Greco-Roman and at the 1932 Summer Olympics for freestyle wrestling, as modified in 1952 (adding medal rounds and making all losses worth 3 points—from 1936 to 1948 losses by split decision only cost 2). Each round featured all wrestlers pairing off and wrestling one bout (with one wrestler having a bye if there were an odd number). The loser received 3 points. The winner received 1 point if the win was by decision and 0 points if the win was by fall. At the end of each round, any wrestler with at least 5 points was eliminated. This elimination continued until the medal rounds, which began when 3 wrestlers remained. These 3 wrestlers each faced each other in a round-robin medal round (with earlier results counting, if any had wrestled another before); record within the medal round determined medals, with bad points breaking ties.

## Results
### Round 1
#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Mustafa Dağıstanlı | Turkey | Decision, 3–0 | Minoru Iizuka | Japan |
| Tauno Jaskari | Finland | Decision, 3–0 | Lee Allen | United States |
| Adolfo Díaz | Argentina | Decision, 3–0 | Omer Vercouteren | Belgium |
| Fred Kämmerer | United Team of Germany | Decision, 3–0 | Tarashkeswar Pandey | India |
| Mohamed Mehdi Yaghoubi | Iran | Decision, 3–0 | Mykhailo Shakhov | Soviet Union |
| Din Zahur | Pakistan | Decision, 3–0 | Geoffrey Jameson | Australia |
| Lee Sang-gyun | South Korea | Fall | Ernesto Ramel | Philippines |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | Start | Earned | Total |
| 1 | Lee Sang-gyun | South Korea | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Mustafa Dağıstanlı | Turkey | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Adolfo Díaz | Argentina | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Tauno Jaskari | Finland | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Fred Kämmerer | United Team of Germany | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Mohamed Mehdi Yaghoubi | Iran | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Din Zahur | Pakistan | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 8 | Lee Allen | United States | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 8 | Minoru Iizuka | Japan | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 8 | Geoffrey Jameson | Australia | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 8 | Tarashkeswar Pandey | India | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 8 | Ernesto Ramel | Philippines | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 8 | Mykhailo Shakhov | Soviet Union | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 8 | Omer Vercouteren | Belgium | 0 | 3 | 3 |

### Round 2

Jaskari withdrew after his bout.

#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Minoru Iizuka | Japan | Decision, 3–0 | Tauno Jaskari | Finland |
| Mustafa Dağıstanlı | Turkey | Fall | Lee Allen | United States |
| Fred Kämmerer | United Team of Germany | Decision, 3–0 | Adolfo Díaz | Argentina |
| Tarashkeswar Pandey | India | Decision, 3–0 | Omer Vercouteren | Belgium |
| Mohamed Mehdi Yaghoubi | Iran | Fall | Geoffrey Jameson | Australia |
| Mykhailo Shakhov | Soviet Union | Fall | Ernesto Ramel | Philippines |
| Lee Sang-gyun | South Korea | Decision, 3–0 | Din Zahur | Pakistan |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | Start | Earned | Total |
| 1 | Mustafa Dağıstanlı | Turkey | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1 | Lee Sang-gyun | South Korea | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1 | Mohamed Mehdi Yaghoubi | Iran | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Fred Kämmerer | United Team of Germany | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | Mykhailo Shakhov | Soviet Union | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | Adolfo Díaz | Argentina | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 6 | Minoru Iizuka | Japan | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 6 | Tarashkeswar Pandey | India | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 6 | Din Zahur | Pakistan | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 10 | Tauno Jaskari | Finland | 1 | 3 | 4* |
| 11 | Lee Allen | United States | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 11 | Geoffrey Jameson | Australia | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 11 | Ernesto Ramel | Philippines | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 11 | Omer Vercouteren | Belgium | 3 | 3 | 6 |

### Round 3
#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Minoru Iizuka | Japan | Fall | Adolfo Díaz | Argentina |
| Mustafa Dağıstanlı | Turkey | Decision, 3–0 | Fred Kämmerer | United Team of Germany |
| Mohamed Mehdi Yaghoubi | Iran | Fall | Tarashkeswar Pandey | India |
| Mykhailo Shakhov | Soviet Union | Fall | Din Zahur | Pakistan |
| Lee Sang-gyun | South Korea | Bye | N/A | N/A |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | Start | Earned | Total |
| 1 | Lee Sang-gyun | South Korea | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1 | Mohamed Mehdi Yaghoubi | Iran | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Mustafa Dağıstanlı | Turkey | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | Mykhailo Shakhov | Soviet Union | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 | Minoru Iizuka | Japan | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | Fred Kämmerer | United Team of Germany | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 7 | Adolfo Díaz | Argentina | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 7 | Tarashkeswar Pandey | India | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 7 | Din Zahur | Pakistan | 4 | 3 | 4 |

### Round 4
#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Minoru Iizuka | Japan | Decision, 3–0 | Lee Sang-gyun | South Korea |
| Mustafa Dağıstanlı | Turkey | Decision, 2–1 | Mohamed Mehdi Yaghoubi | Iran |
| Mykhailo Shakhov | Soviet Union | Bye | N/A | N/A |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | Start | Earned | Total |
| 1 | Mustafa Dağıstanlı | Turkey | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 1 | Mykhailo Shakhov | Soviet Union | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Lee Sang-gyun | South Korea | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 3 | Mohamed Mehdi Yaghoubi | Iran | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | Minoru Iizuka | Japan | 4 | 1 | 5 |

### Round 5
#### Bouts

| Winner | Nation | Victory Type | Loser | Nation |
| Mustafa Dağıstanlı | Turkey | Decision, 3–0 | Mykhailo Shakhov | Soviet Union |
| Mohamed Mehdi Yaghoubi | Iran | Decision, 3–0 | Lee Sang-gyun | South Korea |

#### Points

| Rank | Wrestler | Nation | Start | Earned | Total |
| 1 | Mustafa Dağıstanlı | Turkey | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 2 | Mohamed Mehdi Yaghoubi | Iran | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 3 | Mykhailo Shakhov | Soviet Union | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 4 | Lee Sang-gyun | South Korea | 4 | 3 | 7 |

### Medal rounds

Each of the three medalists had already faced the others two already, so no additional bouts were used. The results consisted of Dağıstanlı's victories over Yaghoubi in round 4 and Shakhov in round 5 and Yaghoubi's victory over Shakhov in round 1. This gave Dağıstanlı a 2–0 record against the other medalists and therefore the gold medal; Yaghoubi a 1–1 record and the silver medal, and Shakhov a 0–2 record and the bronze medal.

#### Points

| Wrestler | Nation | Wins | Losses |
| Mustafa Dağıstanlı | Turkey | 2 | 0 |
| Mohamed Mehdi Yaghoubi | Iran | 1 | 1 |
| Mykhailo Shakhov | Soviet Union | 0 | 2 |