The blood in the pool

The 1956 Olympics (officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad) were held in Melbourne, Victoria, from 22 November to 8 December 1956. Australia then (as now) had strict quarantine requirements so the equestrian events were held in Stockholm. No dirty horses with your dirty equine diseases.

These Games were the first in the Southern Hemisphere and Oceania, as well as the first to be held outside Europe and North America. Melbourne is the most southerly city ever to host the Olympics. It's likely Melbourne could never host the games again because its too far south.

These Games were the first in the Southern Hemisphere and Oceania, as well as the first to be held outside Europe and North America. Melbourne is the most southerly city ever to host the Olympics. It's likely Melbourne could never host the games again because its too far south.

Melbourne was selected as the host city over bids from Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Montreal, Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. Melbourne bet Buenos Aires by just one vote! Many members of the IOC were sceptical about Melbourne as an appropriate site. Its location in the Southern Hemisphere was a major concern since the reversal of seasons would mean the Games must be held during the northern winter.

Then, as now and maybe always governments were bickering about the games. Faced with a housing shortage, the Premier Henry Bolte refused to allocate money for the Olympic Village (eventually sited in Heidelberg West), and Bob Menzies) barred the use of federal funds.

Let's face it sport is political, it always has been. Egypt, Iraq, Cambodia and Lebanon announced that they would not participate in the Olympics in response to the Suez Crisis. The People's Republic of China chose to boycott the event because Taiwan had been allowed to compete.

However, when it was on it was on and we did so well! Aus won all of the swimming freestyle races and ended up with a haul of 8 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze in swimming. Betty Cuthbert smashed the 100 & 200m sprints. Shirley Strickland killed it in the hurdles.

The Olympic flame flew in on a Qantas Super Constellation aircraft (seen here). The first runner in the relay was Greek Australian man Con Verevis. The flame was lit by Ron Clarke at the MCG, he suffered terrible burns caused by the flammable mechanism in the torch.

Because of all of the Hungary/ USSR drama there was one match that was highly anticipated. The water polo match between Hungary and the USSR. In the morning before the start, the Hungarians had created a strategy to taunt the Russians and piss them off.

From the beginning, kicks and punches were exchanged. At one point, a punch thrown by Hungarian captain Dezső Gyarmati. With one minute remaining , Hungary was leading 4–0. In the intermission, a player was struck causing a bleeding gash. He left the pool bleeding. It was ON! Many angry spectators jumped onto the concourse beside the water, shook their fists, shouted abuse and spat at the Russians. To avoid a riot, police entered the arena and shepherded the crowd away. It became known as the "Blood in the Water" match.

Despite all of this drama, there was one tradition that started in Melbourne that endures today. Melbourne schoolboy John Wing suggested that at the closing ceremony all athletes enter the stadium as one. John thought t it would be a way of bringing the athletes of the world together as "one nation." Prior to the 1956 Games, no Olympic Team had ever marched in the closing ceremony of the Modern or the Ancient Games. It was the first International Peace March ever.

The Olympic Village is still there, in Heidelberg West. They became public homes. However, 65 years after Melbourne hosted the Olympic Games, those living in the former athletes village still suffer the effects of a rushed development and public housing policies of the time.