Winner Medals

The design for the prize medals which was adopted by the International Olympic Committee for the Amsterdam Games in 1928 and struck for each subsequent Games, was again agreed upon. The original design was modelled by Professor Cassiole of Florence, Italy. The only alteration was to change the appropriate wording to " XVIth Olympiad Melbourne 1956".

Winners of individual events and members of winning teams were awarded silver-gilt medals ; second and third in each category were awarded silver and bronze medals respectively.
The rule as to the award of prize medals reads, inter alia-
" . . . In team events only members of the first, second and third teams who have participated in the final or 3rd-4th match respectively shall be awarded the silver-gilt medals, silver medals and bronze medals and diplomas. Those who have represented the first, second and third teams but have not participated in the final or 3rd-4th match are entitled to receive a diploma. No competitor shall receive more than one medal for the same performance in a combined individual and team competition."

It was the intention of the I.O.C. that this rule should apply to Melbourne, but as it had not been enforced for the equestrian events at Stockholm, which formed an integral part of the Games of the XVI Olympiad, it was therefore decided that the old rule whereby athletes were entitled to more than one medal for the same performance should also apply at Melbourne.

This rule, however, merits careful study with a view to clearer expression for future organizers since it contains ambiguities ; in boxing, for instance, the losing semi-finalists in each weight category do not fight off for third place and are judged to be equal third. There are, moreover, different views as to what constitutes a reserve. Only by defining in the rule those sports which are entitled to claim additional medals, will the anomalies be rectified. It should also be defined which are the team events. Are eights, fours and pairs, for example, in rowing to be classified as team events ? Similarly, why are pairs in canoeing classified as team events and the tandem event in cycling as an individual event ?

In gymnastics team events, more competitors than the scoring number of five are allowed to compete in a team. Should those which follow the scoring five in a team be awarded medals or should they be treated as reserves ?

The I.O.C. new Rule 41 which lays down that medals must bear the name of the sport concerned, was brought into operation in June, 1956. As the prize medals had already been manufactured by this time, the President of the I.O.C. agreed that this section of the rule should be waived for the Melbourne Games.

Prize medals were ordered and distributed as follows : silver-gilt ordered, 280, distributed, 273 ; silver ordered, 280, distributed, 273 ; bronze ordered, 290, distributed, 281. Additional bronze medals were required because the I.O.C. ruled that both of the losing semi-finalists in each weight category of boxing should receive bronze medals rather than fight a deciding bout.

Prize medals were presented in velvet-lined cases. The cases were cream with a label in blue for first, in red for second and in green for third.

(Source document:  Official Report 1956 Melbourne,  page 99)

Participation Medal

Mr. Andor Meszaros of Melbourne, by birth a Hungarian but now a naturalized Australian, submitted the design which was accepted for both obverse and reverse of the commemorative medal. The obverse depicts in relief a design of athletes marching in pairs following a single figure bearing a banner with the Olympic device of rings and the motto of the International Olympic Committee Citius, Altius, Fortius. The reverse is a reproduction in relief of the Coat-of-Arms of the City of Melbourne surmounted by the five rings and bearing the inscription " Olympic Games Melbourne 1956 ".

The medal is in bronze, 5/32 inch in thickness with a diameter of 2½ inches. As most of the recipients of badges were entitled also to commemorative medals, the numbers were related. Badges and commemorative medals, moreover, were distributed jointly and on the same basis ; 12,250 were struck in bronze and were issued in plastic cases. A summary of details relating to the number ordered and issued is at the end of this report.
 

(Source document:  Official Report 1956, page 104)

Diploma

  Diploma 1956 Melbourne

The final choice of a design for the diploma incorporated the Coat-of-Arms of the City of Melbourne with its motto Vires Acquirit Eundo*, from an engraved die. Imposed over the Coat-of-Arms was the Olympic motto, then the words " Diploma Olympic Games Melbourne 1956," and below these were three lines left for details of place, event and name to be completed.

Beneath the main design were the signatures of Mr. Avery Brundage, the Right Honourable R. G. Menzies, and the Honourable W. S. Kent Hughes, with two branches of wattle surrounding the whole. The Olympic rings were in the top centre, printed in silver and embossed. The inks used were non-greasy moisture set in four shades of grey with black, and blue-black for signatures. The over-all size of the diploma was 23 inches wide by 17½ inches deep, and printed by letterpress on pure white arctic ivory paper. Four thousand were ordered. The original intention was to handwrite the details on each diploma, but due to the numbers involved a faster method was sought and a leading typewriter company produced a machine with specially large type (3/16 of an inch) which was found to be satisfactory and had the advantage of speed and economy.

Diplomas were issued in accordance with Rule 41 of the I.O.C. which provides for them to be given to :
(1)  First to sixth individual place-getters, and members of teams placed one to six.
(2)  Non-competitors officially attached to teams, but only up to a percentage as laid
       down in Rule 36.
(3)  International Federation officials if certified by their Federations.

The completion of the diplomas proved a much longer and more difficult task than anticipated and brought to light a number of interesting points, among them :-

(1)  The difficulty of agreement on translation and spelling of names
(2)  The incomplete records kept particularly of team events
(3)  Some International Federations taking their records back to their headquarters,
       which involved considerable correspondence to settle even minor points
(4)  Each team which had exceeded its Rule 36 quota of officials had to be asked to
       nominate those to be given diplomas. This took several months
(5)  Similarly each International Federation had to be asked to confirm the names of
       officiating members. This also took considerable time to complete

Both the latter points should have been settled before teams and Federations left Melbourne. Diplomas were individually packed in cardboard tubes and sent in bundles of approximately 20 to each National Olympic Committee. Unfortunately some were lost in transit and others damaged ; all were replaced. In the light of experience a smaller diploma would probably have travelled more safely and in better condition.

Badges

The symbol of the Organizing Committee was used for the badges, which were 2" x 1¼" in size. Coloured ribbon, appropriately stamped, denoting the category of the wearer or his sport was attached to each badge.

Once again the principle was adopted of using the badges for souvenir and identification purposes only and not to admit the wearer to any venue.

It was also decided that where a recipient, because of the positions he held, was entitled to more than one badge, he would be given the badge and ribbon corresponding to the highest Olympic position held.

Numbers were estimated by referring to previous celebrations of the Olympic Games and by correlating these figures with the numbers expected to attend in Melbourne. In addition, every Australian sporting governing body provided a list of its officials and appropriate numbers were ordered.

Four types of badges were provided instead of three as at previous Games, because it was felt that the competitors should be grouped separately and given a distinctive badge. The following types of badges, therefore, were issued :—
(a)  Gilt with white enamelled border and with               For guests of honour and high
enamelled rings, torch and Australia                              officials
(b)   Silver oxidized with blue enamelled border            For sports and team officials
and with enamelled rings, torch and
Australia
(c)   Silver oxidized with maroon enamelled                  For competitors only
border and with enamelled rings, torch
and Australia
(d)   Bronze with dark green enamelled border             For press, photographers, 
and with enamelled rings, torch and                               broadcasters, and television
Australia                                                                            and filming operators.
 .
The number of badges ordered and issued are listed at the end of this report.

Method of Distribution
The following method of distribution of badges and commemorative medals was
adopted :—
International Olympic Committee.
Sent to each member individually at his hotel

Sports Officials.
(a) International : By the respective International Federation upon
submission of a list of personnel involved
(b) Australian : By the secretary of the Australian governing body

Presidents, secretaries, and members of National Olympic Committees, team officials
and competitors.
Badges and commemorative medals for these groups were handed to representatives of each national team after receipt of the nominal roll containing names and categories of the complete delegation

Press.
By the Press Department of the Organizing Committee. The press were not entitled to commemorative medals

Attaches.
By the Organizing Committee at a meeting of attaches three weeks before the commencement of the Games

Other groups.
By the Technical Department

Plastic Badges.
In addition to the enamelled badges ordered, it was decided to provide plastic badges to distinguish lesser officials and interpreters. Thus 1,350 badges labelled "Official" and 500  with the designation "Interpreter" were provided. Recipients of plastic badges were not entitled to commemorative medals.

(Source document:   Official Report 1956, page 102)

Poster

On the advice of the Fine Arts Sub-Committee, the Organizing Committee commissioned five artists to submit designs and in June, 1954, the Organizing Committee accepted the selection recommended by the Fine Arts Sub-Committee.

It was the work of Mr. Richard Beck, an English industrial designer who had settled in Melbourne. A departure from the illustrative or symbolic designs previously favoured for the Olympic Games, it was a simple clean-cut design showing a white 3-leaf invitation card half-folded and standing out from a bright blue background. It carried a reproduction in color of the Coat of Arms of the City of Melbourne on the rear fold and the 5-ring Olympic symbol on the front. The poster was printed in two standard sizes-40 inches x 25 inches and 20 inches x 12½ inches. Seventy thousand copies were printed-35,000 of each size.

Supplies of posters were sent to shipping companies, airlines, travel and tourist organizations, banks, sporting bodies and National Olympic Committees. Every Australian overseas office acted as a distribution point. The Australian National Travel Association alone, under reciprocal poster agreements, sent 15,000 posters abroad for display on overseas railway hoardings. Through the Australian News and Information Bureau in New York, arrangements were made for thousands of posters to be displayed in retail stores.

Under arrangements negotiated by the Press Department, the official poster was displayed in Australia by all airlines, by travel agencies, by the railways in every State, and in every post office in Australia. Sporting clubs, retail stores and small shops also showed it. Circulars were sent to every town clerk or municipal clerk in the Australian States with samples of the posters, seeking their co-operation in arranging for the poster to be displayed in their towns. Excellent results followed.

(Source document:  Official report 1956 Melbourne, page 142)

John Wing

Postage Stamps

Tickets

Tickets were sold for individual sessions when more than one session took place each day, except in the case of events held at the Main Stadium (Opening Ceremony, Athletics, Hockey Semi-finals and Final, Football Semi-finals and Final, and Closing Ceremony), and for Shooting at Williamstown and Laverton, and Rowing and Canoeing at Ballarat. In these cases admission was for the day.

Tickets were printed in fifteen two-colour combinations, based on four basic colour backgrounds and seven overprints. This provided one colour for each day of the Games. The emblem of the sport being held, together with name of stadium, seat number, date, price, and clock faces showing times of commencement were shown on the face of the ticket, whilst on the reverse side was shown a plan of the particular stadium indicating the position of the seat.

Design and printing provided a reasonable measure of security against forgery of the ticket. Printing of the tickets was carried out in the security section of the Victorian Government Printing Office. Printing commenced in January, 1955. Altogether, including bulk stock tickets for emergency purposes, 2,580,000 were printed and 1,341,483 were sold.

Ticket sales

Ticket sales overseas were not very extensive, approximately 110,000 only being sold. Of these about 56,000 went to New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, 22,000 to U.S.A. and Canada and 18,000 to the United Kingdom. Some 14,000 were spread over the rest of the world. Tickets in small groups were sold to people in some 60 overseas countries. Sales within Australia on the other hand were satisfactory. There were capacity attendances at the Main Stadium for the Opening Ceremony, Athletics, and the Closing Ceremony, also at Swimming, Gymnastics, Cycling, and Fencing. Sales for other sports were reasonable except in the cases of Canoeing, Shooting, and Modern Pentathlon, where they were poor. There was no enclosure for Yachting and no sale of tickets.

Arrangements were made during 1954 whereby the whole of the banks established in Australia, together with the internal and external airlines connected with Australian tourist trade, and the shipping company carrying passengers between Australia and New Zealand, made available their offices and staffs to provide booking agencies on an honorary basis. These agencies successfully carried through an important national work in arranging the sale of tickets overseas and in other States of the Commonwealth of Australia. Two important international tourist agencies also handled overseas ticket sales, but on a commission basis. Requisitions for tickets received through these agencies were finalized in the Organizing Committee's central booking office.

The box office for over-the-counter sales in the City of Melbourne was established at the Myer Emporium, the largest store in Melbourne, where some 4,000 square feet of floor space was set aside to handle the early rush for tickets. Sub-agencies of Myers were opened in other Australian capital cities for over-the-counter sales also.

Bulk stocks of tickets were held partly in strongrooms at the Myer box office and partly in the strongrooms of the Australia and New Zealand Bank, the Committee's bankers. Because tickets were supplied only on requisition, covered by cash, or on over-the-counter sales, there was no difficulty, as in past Olympics, over the return at the last moment of large batches of unused tickets from overseas countries. Nor were there any bad debts arising from agency sales.
 

The gross value of sales of tickets for the Games was £1,205,415 1s. 4d. In addition a small charge was made for entrance to training sessions, particularly of swimming, and receipts under this heading amounted to £26,558.

(Source document:  Official Report 1956,  page 114)

Vignettes

Picture Postcards

Some Examples

Identity Card

Olympic identity cards were mailed to National Olympic Committees six months prior to the Games to provide for issues to all members of the International Olympic Committee, International Federations and National Olympic Committees who proposed to come to the Games, and for competitors and officials sent to Melbourne by the various National Olympic Committees. Identity cards were also on issue to accredited pressmen, broadcasters and photographers.

In all 8,037 identity cards were sent to Secretaries of National Olympic Committees for use-280 green, 7,311 blue and 446 orange cards. The numbers were estimated at this end and in only a few instances was it necessary to send Secretaries extra supplies. As with previous Games, arrangements were made with the Government for these identity cards, subject to compliance with instructions that were issued with them, to be recognized as valid passports for entry into Australia. One proviso of the Immigration Department was that all cards be issued under the authorization of the National Olympic Committees. The Commonwealth Government dispensed with the payment of visa fees for visitors coming to Melbourne for the Games.

The card provided space for particulars and photograph of the holder, which had to be completed and certified by the National Olympic Committee of the country concerned and signed by the holder. Provision was made for the appropriate government authority in the holder's own country to certify the card as a valid passport permitting the person concerned to depart from his own country, travel to Melbourne and return to his country. The Olympic identity card was good for entry to Australia between 1st September and 8th December, 1956, and was valid until 31st January, 1957. This period could be extended on specific application.

In actual practice, very few overseas countries gave formal approval to the use of these identity cards as valid passports and practically all official visitors to the Games carried the normal passport of their country. The identity card, however, did facilitate travel generally. It had ancillary uses. For example, it was used as a free pass on government owned trams and trains in and around Melbourne. It was used as a pass by competitors and officials into the competitors' stand at the Main Stadium and into the particular stadium of the sport to which a competitor or official was attached. It was also used as an identity pass into the Village for those staying there.

The National Olympic Committees were authorized to issue Olympic identity cards to the following official representatives attending the Games :

(A) Green Cards-

1.  Members and staff of the International Olympic Committee
2.  Guests invited by the Organizing Committee
3.  Presidents of National Olympic Committees and International Sporting Federations
4.  Chefs de Mission
5.  Family members of persons mentioned above under 1-4
 

(B) Blue Cards-

1.  Representatives of National Olympic Committees
2.  Officials of International Sporting Federations
3.  Team leaders
4.  Competitors
5.  Referees and members of Juries approved by International Sporting Federations
6.  Officials approved by the National Olympic Committee
7.  Assistant staff of teams (coaches, physicians, technical assistants, masseurs, cooks and grooms)
 

(C)  Orange Cards-

1.  Press representatives
2.  Radio and Television reporters
3.  Photographers
4.  Motion-picture photographers
 
 

Other Identity Cards and Passes

A variety of other identity cards and passes was issued to facilitate entry to venues for official purposes, for traffic and in some instances merely to identify the individual. A card, somewhat similar to that on issue to overseas competitors, was issued to members of the Australian team and conferred the same rights. Special identity cards, stamped with the name of their sport, were issued to sports officials required to be in attendance at venues and training centres. Those required on the arena at any given time wore distinguishing armbands. A variety of passes, using a distinctive colour for each venue where strict control was necessary, was used for pressmen, broadcasters, photographers, postal officials, catering staff, messengers, ambulance men, official staff generally and others. These were printed to suit the particular circumstances of classes of individuals and of venues.
 

(Source document:  Official Report 1956,  page 108)