[footnote 142], On the day before the Olympic Games began, the Victorian Parliament celebrated its centenary of responsible government with a state luncheon, a garden party and a special sitting of both houses, which was opened by the Governor, Sir Dallas Brooks. [footnote 68] (1951) 'The Games 'wrangle'', The Argus, 26 October, p. 18. [footnote 37] K. Dunstan (2000) The people's ground: The MCG, Melbourne, Arcadia, p. 197. head invited to see ground', The Age, 3 February, p. 1. [footnote 153] H. Gordon, AOC Historian, Mervyn Wood, Australian Olympic Committee website. [footnote 108], The Vice-President of the United States, Richard Nixon, made a flying visit to Melbourne as part of a brief Australian tour in October 1953. [footnote 186] H. Gordon (1994) op. [17] Night football took place in 1879 while the first scoreboard in the world was erected in 1881 at the Cricket Ground along with sightboards and a telephone. Retrieved 2006-11-03. [footnote 32] On the day the good news was received, Sir Raymond Connelly pressed a switch to light a symbolic Olympic torch at the Melbourne Town Hall. The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games (French: Les VII es Jeux olympiques d'hiver) (Italian: VII Giochi olimpici invernali), was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.This celebration of the Games was held from 26 January to 5 February 1956. [footnote 37], Trouble began immediately after AOF secretary, Mr Tanner, challenged the right of the State Government to select the main site and suggested that the Showgrounds might not be suitable. Its status as the first host city in the southern hemisphere and the conservative state of mid-50s quarantine laws meant that all equestrian events remained on the other side of the world in Sweden. The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games, were held in 1956 in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.The USSR debuted in these Winter Olympics. [19], The Royal Exhibition Building was completed in 1880. [footnote 169] I. Jobling (1998) op. [footnote 6] M. McGinness (2002) 'Tanner, Sir Edgar Stephen (1904-1979)', Australian Dictionary of Biography online. Found insideWith the possible exception of the White City Stadium built for London's 1908 Olympics these stadia made a fairly minor ... and Melbourne 1956, were on a smaller scale than those of Berlin and had less of an impact on their host cities. The disappointment was soon forgotten though, as the extinguishing of the Olympic flame heralded its halcyon era. After initially spurning the athlete’s village for the seclusion of a Soviet freighter docked a Port Melbourne, the USSR were persuaded to relocate to the village. [footnote 109] (1953) 'Mr. [footnote 30] The Victorian Government had produced a flattering 13-minute colour film about Melbourne which was shown to the IOC members. Its credentials in hosting major international events were already beyond reproach, being the very reason it was built. [footnote 40] (1949) 'MCG 'not suitable Olympic Games site'', The Argus, 16 July, p. 3. Below are the full venues for the 2021 Olympics: Venue: Events: Olympic Stadium: . cit., p.234. [footnote 72] (1951) 'New Games scheme may win M.C.G. [footnote 85] K. Dunstan (2000) op. As was always the plan, once the athletes moved out public housing tenants from across Victoria moved in. approved as Games site: I.O.C. cit., pp. 473-475. The so called ‘cultural contact’ inevitably led to romance, too, with American hammer thrower Hal Connoly and Czech discuss thrower Olga Fikotova falling in love and later marrying. [footnote 95] The plan was for the Housing Commission to act as the building authority for the village, with the houses (to accommodate up to 6,000 people) to be handed back to the Commission for general housing after the Games. A 1953 federal Royal Commission inquiry into television had recommended that it be introduced gradually under government supervision, with an ABC station and two commercial channels in both Sydney and Melbourne. In truth, the area has always hosted a mixture of both. AFL giant Collingwood, who promptly re-badged it with a sponsor’s label. [footnote 66] (1951) 'Federal offer of Games finance: Support for M.C.G., not Show Ground', The Age, 17 October, p. 4. cit. Category:Venues of the 1956 Summer Olympics. More Olympics Wiki. Aug 9, 2015 - The 1956 Olympics, the XVI Olympiad, were held in Melbourne, Australia. [footnote 105] Olympic Park, which was on land set aside for amateur sports (not designated as parkland like Fawkner Park), was chosen as the final site for the swimming pool. Broadmeadows. Royal Australian Air Force, Laverton Air Base. In this respect Melbourne was a trailblazer. [21] During the Great Influenza Epidemic of 1919, the Exhibition Building was commendeered for medical usage. [footnote 159] H. Gordon (2004) Athletics Australia Hall of Fame: John Landy, Athletics Australia website. They might nominate the Albert Park and St Kilda area, which now hosts the Formula One Grand Prix. About 4500 athletes competed in Melbourne in 16 sports and 24 disciplines. The Cricket Ground hosted between 85,001 and 107,100 for the athletic events. [footnote 42] The Organising Committee held its first meeting on 12 November 1949, at which Sir Frank Beaurepaire was appointed as chairman and as a member of the sub-committee that would seek expert advice on the stadium question. Fawkner Park had become the favoured site for the new pool by mid-1952. but beware, he warns, of wowsers and tall tales of kangaroos. Riding first as per alphabetical order meant the Australians were placed at the front and pushed over by those coming from behind. [footnote 9] J. R. Poynter (1979) 'Beaurepaire, Sir Francis Joseph Edmund (Frank) (1891-1956)', Australian Dictionary of Biography online. [footnote 148] K. Dunstan (2000) op. cit., pp. [footnote 126] The Firearms (Olympic Games) Act 1955 was passed in October, which allowed for the licensing of certain categories of firearms to be used in Games competition. The 1956 Olympic Road Race was routed through Greenvale. It wasn’t all high-minded Olympic ideals on the banks of the Yarra though. [footnote 51] I. R. Hancock (2000) 'Kent Hughes, Sir Wilfrid Selwyn (Billy) (1895–1970)', Australian Dictionary of Biography online. Connelly said that he would submit an application for the 1956 Olympic Games to be held in Melbourne, with the intention to 'get in nice and early' and he did so in January 1948 (the same month in which he was knighted). Found inside – Page 130Olympic Games (Stockholm, 1912), 78-79 1500-m Olympic champions, 83 swimming costumes, 76 Sydney Cricket Ground (1931), ... 102 Jack Kramer's World Professional Tennis Championship (1956-57), 95 Olympic Games, Melbourne, 1956, ... [footnote 157] H. Gordon (1994) op. [14] Lake Wendouree was first used as a rowing venue in 1864 though the lake itself was not dammed and converted from a swamp until 1869 following a drought. [footnote 25] (1948) 'Lord Mayor defends site for Games', The Argus, 21 December, p. 16. cit., pp. [footnote 59], In April 1951, state political leaders began to express doubts about whether Victoria could meet its Games commitments. Some aspects of overseas investment in Victoria: a short history of the Victoria Promotion Committee, 1956-1982. While its training ground, Olympic Park Oval, is situated on the former site of Olympic Park Stadium - another former 1956 Olympic venue and Melbourne's primary … A total of 32 nations sent athletes to Cortina d'Ampezzo. [footnote 145] The day was capped off with a state dinner for 630 guests in the Royale Ballroom at the Exhibition Building, decorated with shields and flags of the Olympic nations. Six United States cities and Mexico had also been in the running but, as the Los Angeles Examiner reported, the Australian delegates 'really put on a show'. [footnote 120] Fifty MCG carpenters went on strike for a full month in March 1955 demanding a better pay rate, finally accepting an extra £1 per week in April 1955. Found inside... to finance the initial construction of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the main stadium for the 1932 Olympics (Reiss 1981). ... became the major urban development contributions of the 1952 Helsinki and 1956 Melbourne Games. [footnote 72] However, the Trustees again refused permission to use the MCG in February 1952, with the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) having strong objections to the ground regrading process and the disruption to the cricket and football seasons. The Melbourne 1956 Games was the first time Australia hosted the Olympics. [footnote 173] St Kilda Town Hall hosted twelve days of fencing competition and the yachting events were held on Port Phillip Bay, with Lake Wendouree being the venue for rowing and canoeing. Bridgeford is appointed new Games chief', The Argus, 10 June, p. 1. [footnote 183] H. Gordon (1994) op. [footnote 181] All three stations televised the Olympics, using mobile vans linked by radio to their main studios and a 16mm film of daily events was sent to Sydney each evening for television broadcast. Venues; Olympic Park Velodrome, Melbourne, Victoria; Olympic Park Velodrome, Melbourne, Victoria. [22][24], The Queen Mother visited the cricket ground in 1958; the following year, Billy Graham hosted the greatest attendance of the Grounds' history with an audience of 130,000. Forget the 100m final – the contest for the host city to be ready on time is the most dramatic, high pressure test of them all. cit., p. 69. [footnote 28] H. Gordon (1994) op. [17] The Olympic Flame returned to the Grounds on 30 July 2000 during the torch relay for the 2000 Summer Olympics, for the first time since the 1956 Games,[17] and the Cricket Ground served as host for several football preliminary matches during the Sydney Games. In honour of the 1956 Olympic Games, Foys department store decorated the front of their building on the corner of Bourke and Swanston Street. Unfortunately he died suddenly a few days later, 'almost in the hour of triumph'. [footnote 22], On 17 December 1948, Premier Hollway told the Invitation Committee meeting at the Melbourne Town Hall that the Royal Agricultural Showgrounds at Flemington would be the main venue if Melbourne secured the 1956 Olympic Games. The Treasurer, Mr Cain, explained that the Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society had insisted on the legislation. [footnote 67] (1951) 'Olympic official's Games warning', Sydney Morning Herald, 26 October, p. 3. Found inside – Page 71For these Games, the picture of victory is accompanied by the specific inscription: "XVIth OLYMPIAD MELBOURNE 1956". On the reverse, an Olympic champion carried in triumph by the crowd, with the Olympic stadium in the background. [17] Between 10,805 and 16,626 spectators attended the field hockey semifinals and medal matches. Coles resigns from Games: Decision shocks Olympic chief', The Age, 21 May, p. 1. . cit., p. 259. Aged just 17 years of age, Murray Rose won three gold medals in the pool in the 400 metres, 1,500 metres and as a member of the 4 x 200 metres freestyle relay team. Nearly 40 years later the world weightlifting championships were held in the building, while it was also called into use for Melbourne’s Commonwealth Games of 2006. [footnote 39] (1949) 'Games site switch to MCG now likely', The Argus, 5 July, p. 1. There was even a landmark named 'Greenvale Corner' on the maps. [footnote 17] D. Dunstan (1986) 'Luxton, Sir Harold Daniel (1888-1957)', Australian Dictionary of Biography online. [footnote 189] H. Gordon (1994) op. [footnote 45], On 2 April 1950, the Organising Committee conditionally selected the MCG as the main arena, provided that the MCG Trustees undertook alterations to the ground to comply with Olympic requirements — to regrade the ground to eliminate a fall of over seven feet from east to west — and that the State Government guaranteed financial support for the improvements. James Disney (as chair of the Committee) and the Royal Agricultural Society (which hoped to restart its stalled program of expansion and improvements on the Flemington site). Italian Ercole Baldini survived the war of attrition, completing the 187 km journey in 5 hours 21 minutes to take gold. Found inside – Page 108from the IOC, the International Federations (IFs), the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the local ... London 1948 4,104 136 25 Helsinki 1952 4,955 149 24 Melbourne 1956 3,314 145 17 Rome 1960 5,338 150 34 Tokyo 1964 5,151 163 33 ... Given its inhabitants’ traditional love of cycling and cafes, perhaps they’d plump for the home of Melbourne’s large Italian community, Lygon Street, and the surrounding suburb of Carlton. Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted. . [footnote 98], The selection of a site for the Olympic swimming pool also caused some problems. Of the 88 riders who took to the starting line, exactly half failed to finish. cit., p. 196. Save. Includes the final results for every Olympic event since 1896, featuring information on records, medals, and individual athletic performance. [footnote 128] H. Bolte, Premier and Treasurer (1955) 'Olympic Games Bill', Debates, Victorian Legislative Assembly, 10 November, pp. [footnote 88] (1953) 'M.C.G. head invited to see ground', The Age, 3 February, p. 1. Hodge won the match. [19], Restoration work began on the Royal Exhibition Building in 1985 and was completed during the 1990s. Brisbane, located where Australia's Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast meet, will be the third Summer Olympics to be held in Australia, after Sydney 2000 and Melbourne 1956. cit., p. 208. ', The Argus, 19 April, p. 11. Stadium View of Runners on Olympics Track, The mixed fortunes of Melbourne's 1956 Olympic venues, 60 years on. [footnote 149] B. Howard (1995) 15 days in '56: The first Australian Olympics, Pymble, Angus and Roberston, pp. Hodge of the USA and G.H. It's the third time Australia will host an Olympics; Melbourne hosted the 1956 Games and Sydney hosted the 2000 . Found inside – Page 287The Melbourne organizers spent years debating whether to build a new Olympic stadium before deciding to revamp the existing Melbourne Cricket Ground . When concerns about construction and promotion costs mounted , the Australian ... The former athletes' village in Heidelberg West remains as public housing, and the small stadium there is home to the local football team, Heidelberg United FC. 253-256. [footnote 88] The revised estimate for the Games was £850,000, including £300,000 for the MCG to regrade the ground and make other alterations, another £300,000 allocated for the Olympic Pool and £250,000 for the cycling track. [footnote 179] J. Zoltan & S. Malik (2013) Blood in the water: The 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, SBS website. [17] In 1914, a baseball exhibition took place between the American Major League Baseball teams New York Giants and Chicago White Sox. [footnote 191], The Melbourne Olympics were over — as the world's youth were called upon to assemble in Rome for the next Olympiad in 1960, the Games were farewelled with much sadness. These events would prove the exception as far as sport is concerned, with the venue becoming more of an arts and cultural venue in the later half of the century. 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