| | Event type

Middleweight, Greco-Roman (≤79 kilograms), Men

Date	3 – 6 December 1956
Status	Olympic
Location	Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, Victoria
Participants	10 from 10 countries
Format	Elimination by bad points. Win by fall = 0 points; win by decision = 1 point; loss by 2-1 decision = 3 points; loss by 3-0 decision = 3 points; loss by fall = 3 points. Three judges gave decisions, thus all decisions were either 2-1 or 3-0. Five bad points eliminated a wrestler.

Soviet Georgian Givi K’art’ozia was the heavy favorite in this class. He was first noticed internationally at the 1951 World Festival of Youth and Students, where he won gold in Greco-Roman middleweight, repeating in 1953. K’art’ozia won the 1956 World Cup and the 1953 and 1955 World Championships. With only 10 entrants in this class, he had to win only four matches to win the 1956 gold medal, which he did easily. The silver medal went to Bulgaria’s Dimitar Dobrev, while Sweden’s Rune Jansson won bronze. Jansson had won his second round match against Finland’s Viljo Punkari by fall in only 11 seconds, the fastest pin in Olympic history.

K’art’ozia would win the 1958 World title in middleweight and then moved up to light-heavyweight, winning a silver medal in that class at the 1960 Olympics. Dobrev would also return in 1960 and won the gold medal in this class.

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	RE	Bad Points
1	Givi K'art'ozia	URS	–	–	Gold
2	Dimitar Dobrev	BUL	–	–	Silver
3	Rune Jansson	SWE	–	–	Bronze
4	Hans Sterr	GER	–	–
5	György Gurics	HUN	–	–
6	Viljo Punkari	FIN	–	–
AC	Jim Peckham	USA	Eliminated r3/5	5
AC	Wally Paterson	AUS	Eliminated r2/5	6
AC	İsmet Atlı	TUR	Eliminated r2/5	6
AC	Branislav Simić	YUG	Withdrew r2/5	3

Round One (3 December 1956 — -)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
=1	Dimitar Dobrev	BUL	0
=1	Viljo Punkari	FIN	0
=1	Hans Sterr	GER	0
=4	György Gurics	HUN	1
=4	Givi K'art'ozia	URS	1
6	Jim Peckham	USA	2
=7	Wally Paterson	AUS	3
=7	Rune Jansson	SWE	3
=7	İsmet Atlı	TUR	3
=7	Branislav Simić	YUG	3	withdrew

Match #1	Viljo Punkari	FIN	fall (2:58)	Wally Paterson	AUS
Match #2	Givi K'art'ozia	URS	decision (3-0)	Rune Jansson	SWE
Match #3	György Gurics	HUN	decision (2-1)	Jim Peckham	USA
Match #4	Hans Sterr	GER	fall (8:15)	İsmet Atlı	TUR
Match #5	Dimitar Dobrev	BUL	fall (9:42)	Branislav Simić	YUG

Round Two (4 December 1956 — -)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
1	Dimitar Dobrev	BUL	0
2	Givi K'art'ozia	URS	1
=3	Hans Sterr	GER	2
=3	György Gurics	HUN	2
=5	Viljo Punkari	FIN	3
=5	Rune Jansson	SWE	3
=5	Jim Peckham	USA	3
=8	Wally Paterson	AUS	6	eliminated
=8	İsmet Atlı	TUR	6	eliminated

Match #1	Rune Jansson	SWE	fall (0:11)	Viljo Punkari	FIN
Match #2	Givi K'art'ozia	URS	fall (3:00)	Wally Paterson	AUS
Match #3	Jim Peckham	USA	decision (2-1)	Hans Sterr	GER
Match #4	György Gurics	HUN	decision (3-0)	İsmet Atlı	TUR
Match #5	Dimitar Dobrev	BUL	bye

Round Three (5 December 1956 — -)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
1	Dimitar Dobrev	BUL	1
=2	Hans Sterr	GER	2
=2	Givi K'art'ozia	URS	2
4	Rune Jansson	SWE	4
=5	Viljo Punkari	FIN	5	eliminated
=5	György Gurics	HUN	5	eliminated
=5	Jim Peckham	USA	5	eliminated

Match #1	Dimitar Dobrev	BUL	decision (2-1)	Viljo Punkari	FIN
Match #2	Rune Jansson	SWE	decision (2-1)	Jim Peckham	USA
Match #3	Givi K'art'ozia	URS	decision (3-0)	György Gurics	HUN
Match #4	Hans Sterr	GER	bye

Round Four (6 December 1956 — -)

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Bad Points
=1	Dimitar Dobrev	BUL	3
=1	Givi K'art'ozia	URS	3
=3	Hans Sterr	GER	5	eliminated
=3	Rune Jansson	SWE	5	eliminated

Match #1	Rune Jansson	SWE	decision (3-0)	Hans Sterr	GER
Match #2	Givi K'art'ozia	URS	decision (2-1)	Dimitar Dobrev	BUL

Final Round (6 December 1956)

Match #1	Dimitar Dobrev	BUL	decision (3-0)	Rune Jansson	SWE