Basketball at the 1956 Summer Olympics — 1956 Olympic Summer Games competition
The 1956 Melbourne Olympics basketball tournament marked the sport's fourth appearance as an Olympic event, contested by 15 nations across 56 games.
Key Facts
- Olympic appearance
- 4th time basketball was an official Olympic event
- Competing nations
- 15 nations
- Total participants
- 174 athletes
- Games played
- 56 games
- Venue
- Royal Exhibition Building
- Pool structure
- 4 pools, top 2 from each advanced to quarterfinals
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Basketball had been introduced to the Olympics in 1936 and was growing as an international sport. The 1956 Melbourne Games included the tournament as an established medal event, though participation was unusually low at just 15 nations, possibly reflecting the logistical challenges of travel to Australia.
Fifteen nations and 174 athletes competed in 56 basketball games at the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne. Teams were divided into four pools, with the top two from each advancing through quarterfinals and semifinals. Consolation rounds determined placements from 5th through 15th place.
The tournament concluded with final standings determined through a structured pool-and-elimination format. The relatively small field of 15 nations was noted as unusually low for Olympic basketball, reflecting geographic and logistical barriers that would diminish in future Games as the sport's global reach expanded.