Egypt boycotted the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, because of the British and French involvement in the Suez Crisis. The equestrian events for the 1956 Games, however, were held in Stockholm, Sweden, five months earlier, due to Australian quarantine regulations, and three Egyptian riders competed in the show jumping events. None of the athletes won individual medals and they failed to place in the team competition due to one rider's failure to finish the individual tournament.
| Egypt at the 1956 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| IOC code | EGY |
| NOC | Egyptian Olympic Committee |
| Website | www |
| in Melbourne, Australia/Stockholm, Sweden 10–17 July 1956 | |
| Competitors | 3 in 1 sport |
| Medals |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
| Other related appearances | |
| 1906 Intercalated Games
––––  United Arab Republic (1960, 1964) | |
Background
editPrior to 1956, Egypt had sent athletes to six editions of the Summer Olympic Games and the 1906 Intercalated Games.[note 1] Egypt, along with Cambodia, Iraq and Lebanon, boycotted the 1956 Games, held in Melbourne, Australia, in protest of Britain and France's involvement in the Suez Crisis, as they supported Israel's invasion of Egypt in an attempt to regain control over the recently nationalized Suez Canal.[1] The equestrian events, however, were held several months earlier than the rest of the Games in Stockholm, Sweden, due to Australian horse quarantine regulations that prevented them from being held in Melbourne.[2] This allowed three Egyptian equestrians to compete at the 1956 Olympics.[3]
Equestrian
editShow jumping
editEgypt's three riders, Omar El-Hadary on Auer, Gamal Haress on Nefertiti II, and Mohamed Selim Zaki on Inch'Allah, all competed both individually and as part of the a team in the jumping events. Zaki and Haress were veterans of the 1952 Summer Olympics and would go on to represent the United Arab Republic at the 1960 edition. They finished ninth[4] and joint-21st[5] (with Andrey Favorsky) respectively in the 1956 individual jumping tournament. El-Hadary, in his only Olympic appearance, failed to finish the second round, which also led to Egypt not being placed in the team competition.[6]
References
edit- ^ Kaufman, Burton I.; Kaufman, Diane (6 October 2009). The A to Z of the Eisenhower Era. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 176. ISBN 978-0810870635.
- ^ Grasso, John; Bill Mallon; Jeroen Heijmans (14 May 2015). Historical Dictionary of the Olympic Movement (5 ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 179. ISBN 978-1442248601.
- ^ Gjerde, Arild; Jeroen Heijmans; Bill Mallon; Hilary Evans (June 2016). "Egypt at the 1956 Stockholm Equestrian Games". Sports Reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
- ^ Gjerde, Arild; Jeroen Heijmans; Bill Mallon; Hilary Evans (June 2016). "Mohamed Selim Zaki Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics. Sports Reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
- ^ Gjerde, Arild; Jeroen Heijmans; Bill Mallon; Hilary Evans (June 2016). "Gamal Haress Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics. Sports Reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
- ^ Gjerde, Arild; Jeroen Heijmans; Bill Mallon; Hilary Evans (June 2016). "Omar El-Hadary Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics. Sports Reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
Notes
edit- ^ The 1912 Olympic report Archived 2014-02-07 at the Wayback Machine lists Egypt as having sent a fencer to those Games, but there is uncertainty as to whether he actually competed.