Weightlifting at the 1948 Summer Olympics – Men's 56 kg
The men's 56 kg weightlifting competitions at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London took place on 9 August at the Empress Hall of the Earls Court Exhibition Centre. It was the first appearance of the bantamweight class, which was split off the featherweight class that had previously been the lightest. This was the first change in weight classes since their introduction in the 1920 Summer Olympics.
Each weightlifter had three attempts at each of the three lifts. The best score for each lift was summed to give a total. The weightlifter could increase the weight between attempts but could not decrease weight. If two or more weightlifters finished with the same total, the competitors' body weights were used as the tie-breaker.
Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.| World record | Press | 106.5 kg | 1948 | ||
| World record | Snatch | 91 kg | 1948 | ||
| World record | Clean & Jerk | 122.5 kg | 1948 | ||
| World record | Total | 300 kg | Philadelphia, United States | 1947 | |
| Olympic record | Press | New event | – | – | – |
| Olympic record | Snatch | New event | – | – | – |
| Olympic record | Clean & Jerk | New event | – | – | – |
| Olympic record | Total | New event | – | – | – |