For the first time in the history of modern Olympism, the IOC decided to entrust the organization of the Games to a city from the southern hemisphere - Australian Melbourne literally won by one vote in the competition of Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Montreal and six other American cities.
Melbourne was given the host "with a reservation", many members of the committee were skeptical, because the competitions had to take place when it is summer in the southern hemisphere, and winter in the northern, where most of the competitors came from. They had to adapt their form and training conditions to the unusual time of year.
An additional difficulty arose when it was learned that Australia has specific rules when it comes to animals and their quarantine. Therefore, it was not possible to deliver horses to Melbourne, so an alternative solution was found - the competition in equestrian sports took place even 15 thousand kilometers away, in Europe, in Stockholm, Sweden.
The problems did not end there either. The then president of the IOC, Avery Brandage, was very unhappy during a tour of the arena a few months before the start of the Games, so the possibility of awarding the organization to Rome, which had already won the campaign and was preparing to organize the 1960 OI, was openly considered.
However, mostly thanks to additional loans and interventions by the Australian government, the province where Melbourne is located finished preparations on time, and the competitions could begin.
Admittedly, there were other problems of a political nature that had nothing to do with the host. The United Kingdom and France occupied the Suez Canal, Israel attacked Egypt, so the Egyptians boycotted the Games, and Iraq and Lebanon stood in solidarity with them. The Soviet Union also occupied Hungary, which caused a boycott by the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland. Those countries, however, participated in the equestrian part of the Games, which was held in Stockholm.
A boycott of the Games was announced by China immediately before the start, because an independent appearance by Taipei was allowed.
Although the Olympic Games, therefore, throughout history were mostly an "oasis of peace", many political problems often broke through them.
The good news, however, was the joint performance of the two Germanys - West and East, and the hosts of the Games in Melbourne decided to change the closing ceremony of the Games. Thus, the parade of individual national teams was abolished, and the parade of all athletes together was introduced, as a symbol of the unity of the whole world. This custom was accepted at all subsequent Games.
When the competitions in Melbourne started, all problems were forgotten. The Australians proved to be great hosts, cordial and efficient, so these Games were often referred to as the "Friendly Games".
And the hero of the Olympic Games in Helsinki four years earlier, Soviet gymnast Viktor Chukarin, won five new medals in Melbourne - three gold, one silver and one bronze. Upon his return to his homeland, this earned him the Order of Lenin, which no USSR athlete had received before him.
His compatriot, Larisa Semyonova Latinina, the most successful Soviet gymnast and Olympian of all time, began her incredible streak in Australia - she won the first six out of a total of 18 medals at the Olympic Games.
Her rivalry with the Hungarian Agnez Keleti is also remembered - the two of them won as many as 12 medals, six each, in Melbourne. Keleti won four golds and two silvers, while Latina won four golds, a silver and a bronze.
The domestic competitors, the Australians, dominated in swimming, winning eight out of 13 disciplines, the Soviets were the best in gymnastics, and the Americans, as usual, in athletics.
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The most successful Australian swimmer was of Scottish origin - Murray Rose, who won three gold medals in Melbourne (in the 400 and 1.500 meter freestyle and in the 4x200 meter relay in the same style).
And the most successful athlete at the Games was Australian - Catherine Elizabeth, champion in the 100, 200 and 4x100 meter relay races.
The basketball players of the United States of America, led by the great Bill Russell, 11-time NBA champion, also shone, scoring 418 points more than the second most efficient team. It is remembered that they were more dominant even than the "dream team", which first appeared in Barcelona in 1992.
The performance of Hungary, which was occupied by the Soviet Union immediately before the beginning of the Olympics, attracted special attention. Those two national teams collided in the semifinals of the water polo tournament, which was the height of tension. The Hungarians are celebrating, but with a few bloody heads, because the Soviet water polo players took the lead in brutality. The match was interrupted several times. After the Games, 45 Hungarian competitors requested asylum and fled to the West.
Yugoslavia arrived in Australia with 41 competitors, among whom were Montenegrin athlete Veliša Mugoša, soccer player Nikola Radović and water polo player Boško Vuksanović. The last two won medals - silver, while Mugoša, one of the best CG athletes of all time, gave up during the final race at 5.000 meters, having successfully passed the qualifications.
Football and water polo players, therefore, won silver, repeating the results from the previous games. The football team played brilliantly until the final, where the legendary Soviet goalkeeper Lav Yashin made a stop (1:0), while the water polo players lost to Hungary in the final, with a soccer score (2:1).
Another, the third silver, the last medal for Yugoslavia in Melbourne was won by the legendary athlete Franjo Mihalić, who finished second in the marathon, behind the winner, the Frenchman Alain Mimun. It is interesting that the champion from Helsinki, Czech Emil Zatopek, finished sixth in the same race.
The Soviet Union was the first in the order of medals won (37 gold - 29 silver - 32 bronze), the second was America (32 - 25 - 17), the third was Australia (13 - 8 - 4), the fourth was Hungary (9 - 10 - 7 ), fifth Italy (8 - 8 - 9)...
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