MELBOURNE 1956
- 22 November – 8 December 1956
- 145 official medal events.
- 3,188 competitors from 72 countries.
- Finnish team: 64 athletes.
Stockholm 1956 (equestrian)
- 10–17 June 1956
- 6 official medal events.
- 159 competitors from 29 countries.
- Finnish team: 7 athletes.
The Melbourne Olympic Games took place at an exceptional time of the year, in the early spring of the Southern Hemisphere. Consequently, Finland could celebrate two gold medals on its Independence Day, 6 December, when both Rauno Mäkinen and Kyösti Lehtonen won gold in their weight categories in Greco-Roman wrestling. The third Finnish Olympic champion in Melbourne was Pentti Linnosvuo, whose gold medal in the free pistol event was Finland’s first ever in Olympic shooting competitions. In track and field Voitto Hellstén and Jorma Valkama became the first ever Finnish medallists in 400 metres and the long jump, respectively. For the first and only time, no javelin throwers were selected to the Finnish Olympic team. Finland won three medals in modern pentathlon, the best ever result in that sport. Rolf Wiik’s eighth place in the epee competition in Melbourne is the best ever Olympic achievement of Finnish fencing. The equestrian competitions of the 1956 Olympic Games were transferred to Stockholm due to strict Australian quarantine laws.
Medal Standings
| G | S | B | Total | ||
| 1 | Soviet Union | 37 | 29 | 32 | 98 |
| 2 | USA | 32 | 25 | 17 | 74 |
| 3 | Australia | 13 | 8 | 14 | 35 |
| 4 | Hungary | 9 | 10 | 7 | 26 |
| 5 | Italy | 8 | 8 | 9 | 25 |
| 6 | Sweden | 8 | 5 | 6 | 19 |
| 7 | Germany | 6 | 13 | 7 | 26 |
| 8 | Great Britain | 6 | 7 | 11 | 24 |
| 9 | Romania | 5 | 3 | 5 | 13 |
| 10 | Japan | 4 | 10 | 5 | 19 |
| 11 | France | 4 | 4 | 6 | 14 |
| 12 | Turkey | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 13 | Finland | 3 | 1 | 11 | 15 |
| 14 | Iran | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 15 | Canada | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 16 | New Zealand | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 17 | Poland | 1 | 4 | 4 | 9 |
| 18 | Czechoslovakia | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| 19 | Bulgaria | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 20 | Denmark | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 21 | Ireland | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 22 | Norway | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 23 | Mexico | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 24 | Brazil | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| India | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 26 | Yugoslavia | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 27 | Chile | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 28 | Belgium | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 29 | South Korea | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Argentina | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 31 | Iceland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Pakistan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 33 | South Africa | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 34 | Austria | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 35 | Greece | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bahamas | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Switzerland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Uruguay | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Includes equestrian competitions in Stockholm.
