Olympic Games of 1956

The Event First Olympic Games of the modern era scarred by a wide-scale boycott

Date November 22-December 8, 1956

Place Melbourne, Australia

The Olympic Games of 1956 became an arena for Cold War rivalries and served as affirmation that nations could use athletic boycotts as symbolic, yet powerful political weapons against other nations pursuing controversial political programs.

The 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, marked the first time that the Games were held in the Southern Hemisphere. Enthusiasm over the event was dampened by controversy stemming from a multination boycott. Spain, Switzerland, and the Netherlands refused to compete because of the Soviet Union’s suppression of the Hungarian revolt. Egypt, Lebanon, and Iraq chose to boycott in response to the developing crisis in the Suez. Moreover, the Games also proved controversial because of the triumph of the Soviet Union over all nations in the so-called medal and points races. The country’s dominance rekindled the debate about how to define an amateur athlete.

The International Scene

Hungary experienced a public revolt in 1956, as citizens critical of Soviet domination of the country demanded political reforms. In October, a new Hungarian prime minister said Soviet troops should leave and added that Hungary was preparing to exit the Warsaw Pact. Soviet troops soon invaded the capital, Budapest, and quickly squashed the rebellion. A change in political leadership followed, and the uprising ended. Three countries—Spain, Switzerland, and the Netherlands—chose to skip the Olympics after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled that Soviet athletes, despite the actions of their government, should not be barred from competing in Melbourne.

The Suez Crisis also occurred in 1956, when Egypt’s president, Gamal Abdel Nasser, nationalized the globally important Suez Canal, which had been operated by the British and French. The European countries entered into an alliance with Israel, which launched a surprise attack on Egypt one month before the start of the Olympics. The British and the French soon ordered the Israelis and the Egyptians out of the canal, and when neither acquiesced, the Europeans began a series of air strikes. The United States and the Soviet Union called on the British, French, and Israelis to cease their military actions. Nasser demanded that British and French athletes be barred from competition in the Olympics, but the IOC refused, prompting Egypt to pull out of the Games. In support, Lebanon and Iraq did the same.

Amateur Status

During the 1950’s, the IOC adopted a strict code for amateurism. The IOC argued that the Olympics were supposed to celebrate amateurism and be reserved for those athletes who participated because of their love of sport and not for monetary gain.

In the post-World War II years, the amateur question took on a new twist because of concerns about whether the Soviet Union was following Olympics rules. One of the principal concerns the IOC had was whether the Soviet Union was paying (or at least subsidizing) its athletes. Although the Soviet Union maintained it was complying with Olympics rules, the achievements of Soviet athletes in 1952 and 1956 raised concerns that the country was violating the spirit, if not the letter, of the rules of amateurism.

In early 1956, Avery Brundage, the American IOC president, demonstrated that he would play no favorites in the amateurism debate by directing the banishment of a top American track-and-field athlete from the Olympics. Brundage called for an investigation of Wes Santee after reading newspaper reports suggesting Santee had accepted more expense money than he should have for competing in several U.S. events. That investigation confirmed Santee had taken too much money, and in February, 1956, he was banned for life from the Olympics. Two American newspapers were divided about whom to blame for this episode. The Los Angeles Times chose to criticize America’s sports-governing bodies and the IOC, which it suggested was caving in to pressure from the Soviet Union. However, The New York Times argued that Santee knew the rules and simply did not follow them.

Key Events

During the Games, the most memorable water polo match in Olympic history was played. The Soviet and Hungarian teams met in the pool, with the latter still in contention for the gold medal. The Hungarians won the game (and later the gold medal), but many spectators were astounded by the brutality of the match. At one point, a Hungarian player was fouled by his Soviet counterpart and exited the water with blood pouring down his face. Pictures of that athlete were disseminated throughout the world. The antagonism soon spread into the stands, and Australian police had to put down a potential riot.

The Soviet Union also won more medals than any other country in Melbourne (thirty-seven gold and ninety-eight total), prompting Soviet officials to boast that their team had shattered the larger-than-life image of the American team, which took home thirty-two gold and seventy-four total medals.

Impact

Throughout the second half of the twentieth century, the Olympics were tarnished by boycotts and the vexing question of amateurism. The most recognizable boycotts occurred in 1980 and 1984, when the United States and the Soviet Union encouraged many nations to skip the Games. The idea that Olympic athletes could be used as political pawns had its origins in 1956. Although none of the six nations that skipped the Games that year was an athletic powerhouse, their absence nevertheless suggested that the IOC’s goal of separating sports and politics was unattainable.

Bibliography

Espy, Richard. The Politics of the Olympic Games. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1979. Espy’s account draws heavily on primary sources and provides a detailed narrative of various political issues that have affected the post-World War II Olympics.

Peppard, Victor, and James Riordan. Playing Politics: Soviet Sports Diplomacy to 1992. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press, 1993. Penetrating analysis of Soviet participation in the Olympics and the Soviet Union’s use of sports as a political tool.

Senn, Alfred E. Power, Politics, and the Olympic Games. Champaign, Ill.: Human Kinetics Books, 1999. Senn’s narrative covers many of the same issues as Espy’s book, but it was written twenty years later and has fresher material.