Participation medal issued for the equestrian events held in Stockholm for the Melbourne 1956 Summer Olympics. Bronze, 38 mm x 50 mm, 39 gm, by John Sjosvard. Inspired by a sculpture in the Parthenon, the front, inscribed around the upper border, “XVI Olympiadens Ryttartavlingar Stockholm 1956,” features an ancient Greek horse and rider on a platform, with the Olympic rings below; the reverse face is plain. Due to Australian agricultural quarantine regulations, the equestrian events of the XVI Olympiad were held five months earlier in Stockholm, Sweden, making the 1956 Summer Games the second Olympics not to be held entirely in one country; the 1920 Olympics, which Antwerp, Belgium co-hosted with Amsterdam and Ostend, were the first. Given the low number of participants in the equestrian events—158 in total—Stockholm medals remain rare and highly sought-after.
