The postal administration issued an eight-denomination series in honour of the XVI Summer Olympic Games held in Melbourne in 1956.
Hungary’s second Olympic stamp series was connected with the XVI Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, held only a few weeks after the suppression of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Hungarian athletes won 9 gold, 10 silver and 7 bronze medals. Among them, Ágnes Keleti stood out, winning three individual and one team gold medal in gymnastics. László Papp won his third Olympic boxing title. Led by Rudolf Kárpáti, Hungary won two gold medals in fencing, while the Fábián–Urányi kayak pair also proved the best in the world. Perhaps the most memorable gold medal was won by the water-polo team, whose path to final victory included the Hungary–Soviet Union match that became known as the “Blood in the Water” match and ended in violence.
The Melbourne Olympics took place at what might be regarded as one of the peaks of the Cold War, with three serious international conflicts prompting various countries to boycott the Games. Following the suppression of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland expressed solidarity with Hungary by refusing to participate while Soviet athletes were present. Because of the China–Taiwan dispute, the People’s Republic of China also withdrew and did not return to the Olympics until the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon boycotted the Games because of the Suez Crisis.
Nearly half of the Hungarian athletes and sports professionals who travelled to Melbourne did not return to Hungary after the Games, but emigrated abroad.
