New Zealand at the 1956 Summer Olympics was represented by a team of 53 competitors and 12 officials. Selection of the team for the Games in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia, was the responsibility of the New Zealand Olympic and British Empire Games Association. New Zealand's flagbearer at the opening ceremony was

Ritchie Johnston Richard Elsdon Johnston (2 January 1931 – 18 July 2001) was an Olympic track cyclist from Dannevirke Dannevirke ( "Earthworks (archaeology), work of the Danes", a reference to Danevirke; mi, Taniwaka, lit= or ''Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua' ...

. The New Zealand team finished 16th on the medal table, winning a total of two medals, both of which were gold.

Medal tables

Athletics

Track and road

Field

Boxing

Cycling

Track

;Men's 1000 m time trial ;Men's sprint ;Men's tandem ;Men's team pursuit Alan Larkins was a reserve for the team pursuit but did not compete.

Field hockey

Men's tournament

The men's

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

team from New Zealand made its Olympic debut in Melbourne. Before 1956, the only international hockey team apart from Australia that New Zealand had played against was

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. ;Team roster ;Group C ;5th–8th Classification round

Rowing

In 1956, New Zealand entered boats in three of the seven events. The competition was for men only; women would first row at the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 P ...

. Don Rowlands travelled to the Summer Olympics as a reserve but did not compete.

Sailing

Swimming

Weightlifting

Wrestling

Officials

Chef de mission – Lloyd Woods

References

External links

New Zealand Olympic Committee – Games Profile: 1956 Melbournesports-referencePicture of athletes at the Olympic Village
{{Nations at the 1956 Summer Olympics Nations at the 1956 Summer Olympics

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, ar ...

Summer Olympics