The VII Olympic Winter Games were held in 1956 in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.

The USSR debuted in these Winter Olympics. They immediately showed their strength by winning more medals than any other nation.

Medal winners

• Alpine skiing
• Bobsleigh
• Figure skating
• Ice hockey
• Nordic skiing
• Speed skating

Medal count

Top medal-collecting nations:

1956 Winter Olympics medal count
Pos.	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	USSR	7	3	6	16
2	Austria	4	3	4	11
3	Finland	3	3	1	7
4	Switzerland	3	2	1	6
5	Sweden	4	0	2	6
6	United States	2	3	2	7
7	Norway	2	1	1	4
8		1	2	0	3
9	United Team of Germany¹	1	0	1	2
10	Canada	0	1	2	3

(¹ Athletes from East and West Germany competed together as the "United Team of Germany," designated as the EUA. This combined team appeared in the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Winter Olympics).

See also

• Olympic Games
• Summer Olympic Games
• International Olympic Committee