Rowing at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's eight
The men's eight competition at the 1956 Summer Olympics took place at Lake Wendouree near Ballarat, Australia. It was held from 23 to 27 November. There were 10 boats (90 competitors) from 10 nations, with each nation limited to a single boat in the event. The event was won by the United States, the nation's eighth consecutive and 10th overall gold medal in the men's eight; the Americans had won every time they competed (missing 1908 and 1912). Canada took silver, its first medal in the men's eight since 1932. Australia repeated as bronze medalists. Background This was the 12th appearance of the event. Rowing had been on the programme in 1896 but was cancelled due to bad weather. The men's eight has been held every time that rowing has been contested, beginning in 1900. The United States was the dominant nation in the event, with the nation winning the previous seven Olympic men's eight competitions (as well as the other two competitions which the United States had entered). Potential challengers included the Soviet Union (1952 Olympic silver medalists and European champions in 1953, 1954, and 1955), Czechoslovakia (1956 European champions), and Canada (1954 British Empire and Commonwealth champions). For