Melbourne and Stockholm 1956 Olympic Games

Australia officially won the bid to hold the 1956 Games, but due to their strict laws on the entry of foreign horses, the equestrian competitions had to be held in Stockholm. The 1956 Summer Olympic Games are the only Games to take place in two different countries. The equestrian competitions took place in June while the rest of the games occurred in November.

The Melbourne games introduced the Swim Eight-O-Matic Timer to the world. This was the first semi-automatic timekeeping device with a digital display. Times were still kept by 24 keepers with stopwatches, but the Swim Eight-O-Matic Timer made it easier to distinguish a winner in close races.