There was probably a profound sense of relief when Naomi Osaka stepped up to light the cauldron on Friday that it was all finally happening. But this was not the first time that the “Q” word threatened to end an entire sport.

The 1956 Olympic Games were scheduled in Melbourne, Australia, but ultimately took place with the exception of one sport.

It proved necessary to hold the equestrian competitions in the Swedish capital Stockholm because Australia’s strict quarantine regulations meant the importation of horses was not permitted.

Melbourne had presented a bid book with a lambswool cover to International Olympic Committee (IOC) members as they sought the Games in the late 1940s. The final vote was taken at the 1949 IOC session in Rome where they edged out rivals Buenos Aires.

However, although quarantine regulations were already in place, the full realisation of their impact on the Olympic competition did not become apparent until almost four years later.

Australia did not even have an equestrian federation at the time of the bid but, within two years, they were staging their first international horse show, which newspapers reported as a “preview of the Games”. Plans were laid for the Olympic competition in 1956. Dressage was to be held at the Melbourne Showgrounds near Flemington.

Then came the 1953 IOC session held in Mexico City. It seemed apparent that the Melbourne organisers were skating on thin ice when IOC President Avery Brundage spoke of “numerous contradictory reports from Australia.” He was far from happy with the progress being made by the organising committee which had been having other difficulties before the bombshell came.

IOC member Hugh Weir told the session: “Only one worry preoccupies us, it is the quarantine of six months imposed by an Australian law on all the foreign horses coming.”

Organisers had lobbied the health ministry, asking that this “interdiction should be suspended for the duration of the Games.”

In the weeks following the session, Tom Luxton, vice president of the Australian Equestrian Federation, remained optimistic that a solution could be found. This was a view echoed by E.J “Billy” Holt, a senior British official who had worked on the 1948 London Games and was now technical director of the Melbourne Games.

What seemed to be the decisive blow came when Australian minister for health Sir Earle Page wrote to Games organising committee secretary Edgar Tanner in August 1953. “Equine disease in overseas countries was such that considerable risk to the animal population, and in some cases to the human population, would be incurred. No exceptions should be made to enable horses to enter Australia for the purpose of taking part in the Olympic Games.” Page pointed out that the Australian farming industry was still largely reliant on horses and emphasised any relaxation “would involve our livestock in a serious risk which would be quite unwarranted.” The only compromise offered was that horses that had spent the previous six months in Britain, Ireland or New Zealand would be permitted to enter Australia.

In September, Brundage was reported in one newspaper that the equestrian events might even be held in Cortina D’Ampezzo as part of the 1956 Winter Olympics. As Olympic regulations insist on “ice and snow” it was an idea that probably never had a chance of taking off.

In January 1954, the 29 delegates of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) met in Brussels. They concluded that the Australian quarantine rules were unfair and asked the IOC to find an alternative host. Lord Killanin, the future IOC President and member in Ireland, said he was “staking a claim” for Dublin. The Royal Dublin Society was offering their grounds at Ballsbridge.

West Berlin came forward and proposed the facilities which had been used for the 1936 Games.

When the IOC met in Athens, Greek member Angelo Bolanaki did not disguise his own irritation. He insisted: “If we attribute them to another town, we shall commit the infringement of two articles of our fundamental principles and violate 13 articles of our statutes and regulations."

IOC Vice President Lord Burghley of Britain told his fellow members: “It is our duty to look to the future, begging our Australian friends to forgo the project of organising the equestrian events”.

The search for a replacement host now became a priority. Dublin’s interest had cooled, but the Swedes sent a telegram to IOC members. It read: “Stockholm had the honour to arrange the first equestrian competitions in 1912. We think that is one of many good reasons for giving Stockholm also the sole Olympic equestrian competitions of 1956.” Sweden had also won four of the six equestrian titles at the 1952 Games in Helsinki. Subsequently, Stockholm received 25 votes to beat Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Berlin and Los Angeles.

FEI secretary Roger Moermans d'Emaus said in a congratulatory letter: “We would like to congratulate you on this award and are delighted to see the event take place in Sweden, all the more so because your teams always distinguish themselves in equestrian sports, and did so in particular at Helsinki in 1952.”

The decision to switch to Sweden had an immediate financial impact on the Australians, who now had to raise almost £25,000 in order to send a team. In Stockholm, a contingency fund of 200,000 kronor was established for the Games. The Swedes were nonetheless determined the Games should be “self-sufficient.” A lottery and philatelic programme were launched among fund-raising initiatives, but the biggest source of finance proved to be ticket sales.

It was announced that competitors would be accommodated in two military colleges in the vicinity of Stockholm with the status of Olympic Villages. They assured visitors that in no cases will there be more than two beds in each room. The charges for “lodging and board” were set at $5 per day. It was also decided that the Olympic Flame should burn in Stockholm.

At one stage, Stockholm’s organising secretary Robert Selfelt suggested that the Flame used for the Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Games might be kept alight. IOC President Brundage was usually a very strict guardian of regulations, but perhaps surprisingly, he did not reject the idea out of hand. "It would be a deviation from our protocol to keep the flame burning at Cortina until the equestrian Games are opened in Stockholm," Brundage said. "However, I can see certain advantages."

One disadvantage was that Cortina’s Flame was not strictly speaking an Olympic one. It had been kindled in Rome, though it did use a brazier from Olympia. The question soon became academic because Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) President Constantinos Georgacopoulos wrote from Athens. This was to announce that the HOC had “decided quite exceptionally to proceed with the ceremony of lighting the Flame in Olympia. The HOC has come to this decision taking into consideration the exceptional situation of force majeure.”

The Flame duly arrived by air, carried in the miner’s safety lamp. It also travelled through the neighbouring Scandinavian countries. In Copenhagen, it was carried by Lis Hartel, a dressage silver medallist at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki.

When the Relay reached Sweden, it gave more prominence to female Torchbearers than ever before. Riders from women’s auxiliary groups and riding clubs carried the Flame towards Stockholm throughout the night.

Finally it reached the stadium, where the final bearer was dressage competitor Hans Wikne, resplendent in hunting pink as he lit the cauldron in centre field on horseback.

The official ceremony protocol then described how “the Olympic Fire will be carried from the brazier by two runners up to the top of the two stadium towers where beacons will be lit.” The bearers chosen were Henry Eriksson, the 1,500m gold medallist at London 1948, and 1952 gymnastics champion Karin Lindberg -- Lindberg was the first woman to carry an Olympic Flame in the stadium and her role is often forgotten in Olympic history. Both wore white vests bearing the Olympic rings.

The King of Sweden had been installed as patron of the Games. His equerry circulated invitations to the Royal houses of Europe. The missive to the Netherlands, home of FEI President Prince Bernhard, was typical. It read: “Our King plans to receive royal guests in his castle. Would you try to find out if members of the Royal Household are planning to come here and in such cases who?”

The main guests were The Queen and Prince Philip, who travelled with the Swedish Royals to the opening ceremony.

The Royal Yacht Britannia had sailed into Stockholm amid great excitement in the Swedish newspapers. Queen Elizabeth II had been crowned only three years before and excited great interest when she attended a gala dinner on the eve of the Games. Her sister Princess Margaret and Lord Mountbatten were amongst other personalities at the Games.

Organisers had promised that “weather conditions are very favourable at the time the Games take place.”

In fact, it rained shortly before the open carriages were due to set out for the opening ceremony, but relented in time for the royal journey through the city before arriving at the stadium.

At the ceremony, the Olympic rings were formed by folk dancers. The parade of nations was on horseback and some of the horses, unused to the big crowds, gave their riders a few difficulties.

Competition began with dressage and there was immediate success for the host nation. Five-time Olympian Henri St Cyr of Sweden retained his individual title and helped Sweden win team gold. There was further home joy in the three-day event. Petrus Kastenman won individual gold, but the cross-country section, attended by the Queen and members of the Swedish royal family, clad in waterproofs, proved particularly testing in heavy rain -- so many horses fell that the IOC received complaints from animal rights groups.

There had also been a worrying episode when a fire broke out near one of the stables and horses were swiftly evacuated. “The heavy smoke of the fire is quite disturbing,” said the organisers but the horses appeared to suffer no ill effects.

Britain eventually won the eventing team gold. The Queen was delighted and invited them to celebrate aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia. She had reason to celebrate because she owned “Countryman V”, ridden by Bertie Hill.

Women were not yet permitted to take part in eventing, but they were allowed in showjumping. Two did. Belgium’s Brigitte Schockaert tied for 34th place and Pat Smythe of Britain on her famous mount Flanagan took bronze in the team event, the first woman jumper to do so. The gold medal was won by Germany and Hans Gunter Winkler on Halla.

And, with the Olympics hosted halfway across the world, when the events came to an end, it was IOC President Brundage who made the closing declaration. “I offer to His Majesty King Gustaf VI Adolf and to the people of Sweden, to the authorities of the City of Stockholm and to the Organizing Committee of these Games, our deepest gratitude.”