The
1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the
Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international
multi-sport event which was held in
Melbourne,
Victoria,
Australia, in 1956, apart from the
equestrian events, which were held five months earlier in Stockholm. The 1956 Games were the first to be staged in the
Southern Hemisphere and
Oceania, as well as the first to be held outside Europe and North America. Melbourne is the southernmost city to host the games. Equestrian events could not be held in Australia due to
quarantine regulations. This was the second Olympics not to be held entirely in one country, the first being the
1920 Summer Olympics, which
Antwerp, Belgium co-hosted with
Amsterdam and
Ostend.