Melbourne 1956

Held at the lowest latitude ever and awarded to Melbourne beating Buenos Aires by only one vote, the 1956 Games were characterised by being held much later in the year than usual, and events taking place in two locations, with equestrian events held in Stockholm. In addition, the serious events that took place during those months - the Suez war and the invasion of Hungary by the Red Army - led to the first cases of political boycott in Olympic history. The atmosphere of great tension was epitomised by the gold medal match in water polo between the Soviets and Hungarians (with the latter winning 4-0). Tragedy struck the Italian team with rower Arrigo Menicocci involved in a fatal car accident.