The 1960 Rome Olympics saw the Soviet Union dominate with 43 gold and 103 total medals, while seven NOCs won their first-ever Olympic medals.
Key Facts
- Total athletes
- 5,338
- Participating NOCs
- 83
- Soviet Union gold medals
- 43
- Soviet Union total medals
- 103
- Boris Shakhlin gold medals
- 4
- Edoardo Mangiarotti career medals
- 13
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Scheduled as part of the International Olympic Committee's regular quadrennial cycle, the XVII Olympiad was awarded to Rome following the city's earlier failed bid for the 1908 Games. Eighty-three National Olympic Committees sent delegations, including five nations competing at the Summer Games for the first time: the British West Indies, Morocco, San Marino, Sudan, and Tunisia.
Held in Rome, Italy from August 25 to September 11, 1960, the Games featured 5,338 athletes competing across 150 events in 17 sports. The Soviet Union led the medal table with 43 gold and 103 total medals. Soviet gymnast Boris Shakhlin was the standout individual performer, claiming four gold, two silver, and one bronze. Italian fencer Edoardo Mangiarotti also won two medals, bringing his career total to a then-record 13 Olympic medals.
Seven NOCs — the British West Indies, Republic of China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iraq, Morocco, and Singapore — won their first Summer Olympic medals, with Ethiopia and Pakistan claiming their first gold medals. Mangiarotti's career record of 13 Olympic medals set a new benchmark for individual Olympic achievement, standing as one of the most decorated performances in fencing history.
Result
at Rome, Italy