Melbourne 1956
The Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956 – 3,342 athletes from 68 countries arrived for the games in Australia. The Sinai War interrupted the preparations of Israeli athletes for the games.
The strict quarantine laws of Australian agriculture caused the games to be split for the first time, and the equestrian competitions were held a few months earlier in Stockholm, Sweden.
The Israeli football and basketball teams canceled their participation in the games, and with the agreement of the heads of Israeli sports, it was decided to have a symbolic representation.
The Israeli delegation included 3 athletes: swimmer Shoshana Rivner, long jump champion David Kushnir, and diver Yoav Raanan. Two of the sports leaders, Chaim Globinski and Mordechai Ben Dror, accompanied the athletes.
