Ethiopia competed in the Olympic Games for the first time at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. Twelve competitors, all men, took part in ten events in two sports.^[1]

Men's 100m

• Abebe Hailou —
  • Heat — 11.54 (→ did not advance)
• Beyene Legesse —
  • Heat — 11.94 (→ did not advance)
• Roba Negousse —
  • Heat — 12.07 (→ did not advance)

Men's 200m

• Abebe Hailou —
  • Heat — 23.25 (→ did not advance)
• Beyene Legesse —
  • Heat — 23.63 (→ did not advance)
• Roba Negousse —
  • Heat — 23.89 (→ did not advance)

Men's 400m

• Ajanew Bayene —
  • Heat — 51.53 (→ did not advance)
• Abebe Hailou —
  • Heat — 49.18 (→ did not advance)
• Beyene Legesse —
  • Heat — 50.83 (→ did not advance)

Men's 800m

• Ajanew Bayene —
  • Heat — DNF (→ did not advance)
• Mamo Wolde
  • Heat — 1:58.0 (→ did not advance)

Men's 1500m

• Mamo Wolde —
  • Heat — 3:51.0 (→ did not advance)

Men's 4 x 100 Relay

• Bekele Haile
• Abebe Hailou
• Beyene Legesse
• Roba Negousse
  • Heat — 44.47 (→ did not advance)

Men's 4 x 400 Relay

• Ajanew Bayene
• Abebe Hailou
• Beyene Legesse
• Mamo Wolde
  • Heat — 3:29.93 (→ did not advance)

Men's Marathon

• Bashay Feleke — 2:53:37 (→ 29th place)
• Gebre Birkay — 2:58:49 (→ 32nd place)

Team road race

• Guremu Demboba
  Mesfen Tesfaye
  Zehaye Bahta — 99 points (→ 9th place)

Individual road race

• Guremu Demboba — 5:26:58 (→ 25th place)
• Mesfen Tesfaye — 5:34:25 (→ 36th place)
• Zehaye Bahta — 5:34:37 (→ 38th place)
• Negousse Mengistu — did not finish (→ no ranking)