Olympic Rings Rotary Memorial - Ballarat, Australia
Posted by: 
ThePacman
S 37° 33.324 E 143° 49.368
54H E 749349 N 5839766
The Olympic Rings Memorial was erected by the Rotary Club to celebrate Ballarat's involvement in the 1956 Summer Olympics.
Waymark Code: WMNWGT
Location: Victoria, Australia
Date Posted: 05/12/2015
Views: 9
THE 1956 SUMMER OLYMPICS (Games of the XVI Olympiad)
The Olympic Games took place in the southern hemisphere for the first time in 1956. They were hosted in Melbourne, Australia, from the 22nd November to the 8th December 1956. Australian quarantine laws did not allow the entry of foreign horses, so Stockholm (Sweden) were co-hosts for the equestrian events.
Prior to 1956 athletes entered the stadium for the closing ceremony in alphabetical order. In Melbourne this was changed, and all athletes paraded together as a symbol of global unity.
The Games ran smoothly and became known as the "Friendly Games".
In total, 3,314 athletes from 72 countries took place in 151 events covering 17 sports.
The Soviet Union topped the medals table (98), followed by the United States (74) and Australia (35).
The Rowing and Canoeing events took place at Ballarat's Lake Wendouree, approximately 100km from Melbourne.
BALLARAT'S OLYMPIC PRECINCT
The Olympic Precinct was developed to commemorate Ballarat's involvement in the Olympics and to honour the achievements of Ballarat Olympians. The Precinct, on Lake Wendouree's foreshore which was the finish line of the 2000m events, includes a focal memorial of a boomerang topped with the 5 Olympic rings, a cauldron fountain, stone columns with The Athlete’s Oath and the Olympic Creed, and bronze hand and foot imprints of Ballarat’s Olympians.
The focal point of the Olympic Precinct is the Olympic Rings Memorial, erected after the completion of the games in 1956 by the Rotary Club to celebrate Ballarat's involvement. It is a distinctly Australian design with the five rings resting on a boomerang, symbolizing how Australians have upheld the Olympic ideals.
Plaque or monument: Plaque
Placed by?: Rotary Club of Ballarat
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