These were the first Games to be held in the southern hemisphere but strict quarantine laws prevented foreign horses entering the country so the equestrian events were held in Stockholm.

The Soviet invasion of Hungary provoked protests and Spain, Switzerland and Holland withdrew from the Games, while Egypt, Lebanon and Iraq refused to participate in protest at the Franco-British Suez intervention.

And the People's Republic of China pulled out because of the presence of the Republic of China (Taiwan) - a conflict which would take 28 years to be resolved.

Hungary's Laszlo Papp became the first boxer to win three gold medals while Ukrainian gymnast Viktor Chukarin earned five medals, including three gold, to bring his career total to 11 medals, seven of them gold.

The USA basketball team put on the most dominant performance in Olympic history, scoring more than twice as much as their opponents and winning each of their games by at least 30 points.

'Golden Girl' Elizabeth 'Betty' Cuthbert, 18, won gold in the 100m and 200m and 4x100m relay and was instantly acclaimed as a national heroine for Australia.

Prior to 1956 athletes in the closing ceremony marched by nation but in Melbourne the athletes entered the stadium together as a symbol of global unity.

British gold medals: 6