Olympic medal
An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal: gold, awarded to the winner; silver, awarded to the runner-up; and bronze, awarded to the third place. The granting of awards is laid out in detail in the Olympic protocols.
Medal designs have varied considerably since the first Olympic Games in 1896, particularly in size and weight. A standard obverse design of the medals for the Summer Olympic Games began in 1928 and remained for many years, until its replacement at the 2004 Games as the result of controversy surrounding the use of the Roman Colosseum rather than a building representing the Games' Greek roots. The medals of the Winter Olympic Games never had a common design, but regularly feature snowflakes and the event where the medal has been won.
In addition to generally supporting their Olympic athletes, some countries provide sums of money and gifts to medal winners, depending on the classes and number of medals won.
Total medals won are used to rank competitor nations in medal tables, these may be compiled for a specific discipline, for a particular Games, or over all time. These totals always total event placements rather than actual medals—a victory in a team event equates to a single gold for such rankings even though each team member would receive a physical medal.
Introduction and early history
The olive wreath was the prize for the winner at the Ancient Olympic Games. It was an olive branch, off the wild-olive tree that grew at Olympia, intertwined to form a circle or a horse-shoe. According to Pausanias it was introduced by Heracles as a prize for the winner of the running race to honour Zeus.When the modern Olympic Games began in 1896 medals started to be given to successful olympian competitors. However, gold medals were not awarded at the inaugural Olympics in 1896 in Athens, Greece. The winners were instead given a silver medal and an olive branch, while runners-up received a laurel branch and a copper or bronze medal. In 1900, most winners received cups or trophies instead of medals.
The custom of the sequence of gold, silver, and bronze for the first three places dates from the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri in the United States. The International Olympic Committee has retroactively assigned gold, silver and bronze medals to the three best placed athletes in each event of the 1896 and 1900 Games. If there is a tie for any of the top three places all competitors are entitled to receive the appropriate medal according to IOC rules. Some combat sports award two bronze medals per competition, resulting in, overall, more bronze medals being awarded than the other colours.
Medals are not the only awards given to competitors; every athlete placed first to eighth receives an Olympic diploma. Also, at the main host stadium, the names of all medal winners are written onto a wall. Finally, as noted below, all athletes receive a participation medal and diploma.
Production and design
The IOC dictates the physical properties of the medals and has the final decision about the finished design. Specifications for the medals are developed along with the National Olympic Committee hosting the Games, though the IOC has brought in some set rules:- Recipients: The top three competitors receive medals
- Shape: Usually circular, featuring an attachment for a chain or ribbon
- Diameter: A minimum of 60 mm
- Thickness: A minimum of 3 mm
- Material:
- *First place : It is composed at least 92.5% of silver, plated with 6 grams of gold.
- *Second place : 92.5% silver.
- *Third place : It is 97.0% copper with 0.5% tin and 2.5% zinc; the metal value was about US$3 in 2010.
- Event details: The sport for which the medal has been awarded should be written on the medal
''Trionfo''
In 1923 the International Olympic Committee launched a competition for sculptors to design the medals for the Summer Olympic Games. Giuseppe Cassioli's Trionfo design was chosen as the winner in 1928. The obverse brought back Nike but this time as the main focus, holding a winner's crown and palm with a depiction of the Colosseum in the background. In the top right section of the medal a space was left for the name of the Olympic host and the Games numeral. The reverse features a crowd of people carrying a triumphant athlete. His winning design was first presented at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. The competition saw this design used for 40 years until the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich became the first Games with a different design for the reverse side of the medal.Cassioli's design continued to inspire the obverse of the medal for many more years, though recreated each time, with the Olympic host and numeral updated. The obverse remained true to the Trionfo design until the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, where the IOC allowed an updated version to be created. For the next few events they mandated the use of the Nike motif but allowed other aspects to change.
The trend ended after 2000, due to the negative reaction to the medal design for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. The designer of the 2000 medal had originally featured the Sydney Opera House on the obverse instead of the traditional Roman Colosseum but the International Olympic Committee decided that the Colosseum should remain. The Greek press criticised the design for ignorance of the birthplace of the Olympic Games, pointing out that the long-standing feature on the front of medals was mistakenly depicting the Roman Colosseum rather than the Greek Parthenon. The Sydney Organising Committee decided to continue with the design as it was, noting that there was insufficient time to complete another version and that it would be too costly. This long-standing error had remained for 76 years until a new style depicting the Panathenaic Stadium was introduced at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. This new obverse design remains in use.
Custom reverse designs
The German Olympic Committee, Nationales Olympisches Komitee für Deutschland, were the first Summer Games organisers to elect to change the reverse of the medal. The 1972 design was created by Gerhard Marcks, an artist from the Bauhaus, and features mythological twins Castor and Pollux. Since then the Organising Committee of the host city has been given the freedom of the design of the reverse, with the IOC giving final approval.Comparison between Summer and Winter
The IOC has the final decision on the specifications of each design for all Olympic medals, including the Summer Games, Winter Games, and Paralympic Games. There has been a greater variety of design for the Winter Games; unlike with the Summer Games, the IOC never mandated one particular design. The medal at the inaugural 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France did not even feature the Olympic rings. Nike was featured on the medals of the 1932 and 1936 Games but has only appeared on one medal design since then. One regular motif is the use of the snowflake, while laurel leaves and crowns appear on several designs. The Olympic motto Citius, Altius, Fortius features on four Winter Games medals but does not appear on any Summer Games medal.For three events in a row, hosts of the Winter Games included different materials in the medals: glass, sparagmite, and lacquer. It was not until the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China that a Summer Olympic host chose to use something different, in this case jade. While every Summer Olympic medal except for the 1900 Games has been circular, the shapes of the Winter Games have been considerably more varied. The Winter Games medals are also generally larger, thicker, and heavier than those for the Summer Games.
Individual design details
Summer Olympic medal designs
Details about the medals from each of the Summer Olympic Games:| Games | Host | Details | Designer | Mint | Diameter | Thickness | Weight | image |
| 1896 | Athens, Greece | Obverse: Zeus holding Nike Reverse: The Acropolis | Paris Mint | 48 | 3.8 | 47 | ||
| 1900 | Paris, France | Obverse: Winged goddess holding laurel branches; Paris in the background Reverse: A victorious athlete holding a laurel branch; the Acropolis in the background Note: The only Summer Olympic medal that is not circular | Paris Mint | 59 x 41 | 3.2 | 53 | ||
| 1904 | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | Obverse: Nike holding a laurel crown and a palm leaf Reverse: An athlete holding a laurel crown; Greek temple in the background | Dieges & Clust | Dieges & Clust | 37.8 | 3.5 | 21 | |
| 1908 | London, Great Britain | Obverse: An athlete receiving a laurel crown from two female figures Reverse: Saint George atop a horse Edge: "Vaughton", event name and winner | Vaughton & Sons | 33 | 4.4 | 21 | ||
| 1912 | Stockholm, Sweden | Obverse: An athlete receiving a laurel crown from two female figures Reverse: A herald opening the Games with a statue of Pehr Henrik Ling behind him | Erik Lindberg | C.C. Sporrong & Co | 33.4 | 1.5 | 24 | |
| 1920 | Antwerp, Belgium | Obverse: An athlete holding a laurel crown and a palm leaf Reverse: Statue of Silvius Brabo Edge: Name, event, team, "Antwerp", and the date | Coosmans | 59 | 4.4 | 79 | ||
| 1924 | Paris, France | Obverse: An athlete helping another to stand Reverse: A harp and various items of sports equipment | Paris Mint | 55 | 4.8 | 79 | ||
| 1928 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Design: Trionfo Note: This obverse design, sometimes recreated, remains until 2004, the reverse design remained until 1972 | Dutch State Mint | 55 | 3 | 66 | ||
| 1932 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Design: Trionfo | Whitehead & Hoag | 55.3 | 5.7 | 96 | ||
| 1936 | Berlin, Germany | Design: Trionfo "B.H MAYER PFORZHEIM 990" | B.H. Mayer | 55 | 5 | 71 | ||
| 1948 | London, Great Britain | Design: Trionfo | John Pinches | 51.4 | 5.1 | 60 | ||
| 1952 | Helsinki, Finland | Design: Trionfo Edge: 916 M / Y6 | Kultakeskus Oy | 51 | 4.8 | 46.5 | ||
| 1956 | Melbourne, Australia | Design: Trionfo | K.G. Luke | 51 | 4.8 | 68 | ||
| 1960 | Rome, Italy | Design: Trionfo Surround: A bronze laurel wreath and laurel leaf chain | Artistice Fiorentini | 68 | 6.5 | 211 | ||
| 1964 | Tokyo, Japan | Design: Trionfo | and | Japan Mint | 60 | 7.5 | 62 | |
| 1968 | Mexico City, Mexico | Design: Trionfo | 60 | 6 | 130 | |||
| 1972 | Munich, Germany | Obverse: Trionfo Reverse: Castor and Pollux, twin sons of Zeus and Leda Edge: Winner's name and sport | | Bavarian Mint | 66 | 6.5 | 102 | |
| 1976 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Obverse: Trionfo Reverse: A stylised laurel crown and the Montreal Games logo Edge: Name of the sport | Royal Canadian Mint | 60 | 5.8 | 154 | ||
| 1980 | Moscow, Russia | Obverse: Trionfo Reverse: A stylised Olympic flame and the Moscow Games logo | | Moscow Mint | 60 | 6.8 | 125 | |
| 1984 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Obverse: Trionfo Reverse:An Olympic champion held aloft by a crowd Note: The reverse returns to the Cassioli design | Jostens, Inc | 60 | 7.9 | 141 | ||
| 1988 | Seoul, South Korea | Obverse: Trionfo Reverse: An outline of a dove carrying a laurel branch and the Seoul Olympic logo | Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation | 60 | 7 | 152 | ||
| 1992 | Barcelona, Spain | Obverse: Updated interpretation of Trionfo Reverse: Barcelona Games logo | Royal Mint of Spain | 70 | 9.8 | 231 | ||
| 1996 | Atlanta, U.S. | Obverse: Updated interpretation of Trionfo Reverse: A stylised olive branch, the Atlanta Games logo, and "Centennial Olympic Games" Edge: "Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games" | Malcolm Grear Designers | Reed & Barton | 70 | 5 | 181 | |
| 2000 | Sydney, Australia | Obverse: Updated interpretation of Trionfo Reverse: The Sydney Opera House, Olympic Flame, and Olympic rings Edge: Event name | Royal Australian Mint | 68 | 5 | 180 | ||
| 2004 | Athens, Greece | Obverse: Nike with Panathinaiko Stadium in the background Reverse: The Olympic Flame, the opening lines of Pindar's Eighth Olympic Ode, and the Athens Games logo | 60 | 5 | 135 | |||
| 2008 | Beijing, China | Obverse: Nike with Panathinaiko Stadium in the background Reverse: a jade ring with the Beijing Games logo in the centre and the event details on the outer edge | China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation | 70 | 6 | 200 | ||
| 2012 | London, United Kingdom | Obverse: Nike with Panathinaiko Stadium in the background Reverse: The River Thames and the London Games logo with angled lines in the background | Royal Mint | 85 | 8–10 | 357–412 | ||
| 2016 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Obverse: Nike with Panathinaiko Stadium in the background Reverse: The Rio 2016 logo and name, surrounded by a laurel leaf design in the form of the wreaths Edge: The name of the event for which the medal was won is engraved by laser along the outside edge. Note: For the first time, the medals are slightly thicker at their central point compared with their edges. | Casa da Moeda do Brasil | 85 | 6-11 | 500 | ||
| 2020 | Tokyo, Japan | Obverse: Nike with Panathinaiko Stadium in the background Reverse: The Tokyo 2020 logo and name, surrounded rays of sun. |
Winter Olympic medal designs
Details about the medals from each of the Winter Olympic Games:| Games | Host | Details | Designer | Mint | Diameter | Thickness | Weight | Image |
| 1924 | Chamonix, France | Obverse: A skier holding skates and skis and the designer's name Reverse: Written information about the Games | Paris Mint | 55 | 4 | 75 | ||
| 1928 | St. Moritz, Switzerland | Obverse: A skater surrounded by snowflakes Reverse: Olive branches and host details | Huguenin Frères | 50.4 | 3 | 51 | ||
| 1932 | Lake Placid, U.S. | Obverse: Nike with the Adirondack Mountains in the background Reverse: Laurel leaves and written host details Shape: Circular but not with a straight edge | Robbins Company | 55 | 3 | 51 | ||
| 1936 | Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany | Obverse: Nike atop a horse-drawn chariot traversing an arch over winter sporting equipment Reverse: Large Olympic rings | Deschler & Sohn | 100 | 4 | 324 | ||
| 1948 | St. Moritz, Switzerland | Obverse: The Olympic torch with snowflakes in the background and the Olympic motto Citius, Altius, Fortius Reverse: A snowflake and written host details | Huguenin Frères | 60.2 | 3.8 | 103 | ||
| 1952 | Oslo, Norway | Obverse: The Olympic torch and the Olympic motto Citius, Altius, Fortius Reverse: A pictogram of Oslo City Hall with three snowflakes and written host details | and | Th. Marthinsen | 70 | 3 | 137.5 | |
| 1956 | Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy | Obverse: An "ideal woman" and written host details Reverse: A large snowflake with Pomagagnon in the background, the Olympic motto Citius, Altius, Fortius, and further host details | Lorioli Bros. | 60.2 | 3 | 120.5 | ||
| 1960 | Squaw Valley, U.S. | Obverse: The head of a male and female with host details written around them Reverse: Large Olympic rings, the Olympic motto Citius, Altius, Fortius, and the name of the sport | Herff Jones Company | 55.3 | 4.3 | 95 | ||
| 1964 | Innsbruck, Austria | Obverse: Torlauf Mountains, "Innsbruck 1964", and "Torlauf" Reverse: The Olympic rings above the emblem of Innsbruck with host details around them | | Austrian Mint | 72 | 4 | 110 | |
| 1968 | Grenoble, France | Obverse: Three snowflakes and the red rose emblem of Grenoble surrounded by host details Reverse: A stylised image of each sport | Paris Mint | 61 | 3.3 | 124 | ||
| 1972 | Sapporo, Japan | Obverse: Pictogram of lines in the snow Reverse: A snowflake, the Sun, and the Olympic rings Shape: Square with rounded, wavy lines | | Mint Bureau of the Finance Ministry | 57.3 x 61.3 | 5 | 130 | |
| 1976 | Innsbruck, Austria | Obverse: The Olympic rings above the emblem of Innsbruck with host details around them Reverse: The Alps, Bergisel, and the Olympic flame | | Austrian Mint | 70 | 5.4 | 164 | |
| 1980 | Lake Placid, U.S. | Obverse: The Olympic torch held in front of the Adirondack Mountains Reverse: A pine cone sprig and the Lake Placid logo | Gladys Gunzer | Medallic Art Company | 81 | 6.1 | 205 | |
| 1984 | Sarajevo, Yugoslavia | Obverse: Event logo with host details surrounding it Reverse: An athletes head wearing a laurel crown Shape: Circular but set in a large rounded rectangular shape | Zlatara Majdanpek and Zavod za izradu novčanica | 71.1 x 65.1 | 3.1 | 164 | ||
| 1988 | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | Obverse: Event logo with host details surrounding it Reverse: Two people, one wearing a laurel and the other wearing a headdress made up of winter sports equipment | Jostens | 69 | 5 | 193 | ||
| 1992 | Albertville, France | Obverse: Glass set into the metal, showing the Olympic rings in front of mountains Reverse: Rear side of glass section | René Lalique | 92 | 9.1 | 169 | ||
| 1994 | Lillehammer, Norway | Sparagmite partially covered in gold, one side showing the Olympic rings and host details, the other depicting the sport in which the medal was won and the Games emblem | Th. Marthinsen | 80 | 8.5 | 131 | ||
| 1998 | Nagano, Japan | Obverse: Partly lacquered, shows the Games emblem Reverse: Mainly lacquer, containing the Games emblem over the Shinshu mountains | Kiso Kurashi Craft Center | 80 | 8 | 261 | ||
| 2002 | Salt Lake City, U.S. | Obverse: An athlete carrying the Olympic torch steps out of flames Reverse: Nike holding a victory leaf surrounded by event details Shape: Irregular circle, like the rocks in Utah's rivers | , Axiom Design | O.C. Tanner | 85 | 10 | 567 | |
| 2006 | Turin, Italy | Obverse: Graphic elements of the Games Reverse: Pictogram of the specific event Shape: Circular with a hole representing a piazza | Ottaviani | 107 | 10 | 469 | ||
| 2010 | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | Obverse: An individually cropped section of a large First Nations artwork, making each medal unique Reverse: Emblem of the Games and event details Shape: Circular but with undulations stopping it from being flat | and | Royal Canadian Mint | 100 | 6 | 500–576 | |
| 2014 | Sochi, Russian Federation | Obverse: "Patchwork quilt" design representing different regions of Russia Reverse: Name of the competition in English and the Sochi logo Shape: Circular | ADAMAS | ADAMAS | 100 | 10 | 460, 525, 531 | |
| 2018 | Pyeongchang County, South Korea | Hangul "symbolising the effort of athletes from around the world" | Lee Suk-woo | 92.5 | 586, 580, 493 |
Participation medals
Since the beginning of the modern Olympics the athletes and their support staffs, event officials, and certain volunteers involved in planning and managing the games have received commemorative medals and diplomas. Like the winners' medals, these are changed for each Olympiad, with different ones issued for the summer and winter games.Gallery
Presentation
The presentation of the medals and awards changed significantly until the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles brought in what has now become standard. Before 1932 all the medals were awarded at the closing ceremony, with the athletes wearing evening dress for the first few Games. Originally the presenting dignitary was stationary while the athletes filed past to receive their medals. The victory podium was introduced upon the personal instruction in 1931 of Henri de Baillet-Latour, who had seen one used at the 1930 British Empire Games. The winner is in the middle at a higher elevation, with the silver medallist to the right and the bronze to the left. At the 1932 Winter Olympics, medals were awarded in the closing ceremony, with athletes for each event in turn mounting the first-ever podium. At the Summer Olympics, competitors in the Coliseum received their medals immediately after each event for the first time; competitors at other venues came to the Coliseum next day to receive their medals. Later Games have had a victory podium at each competition venue.The 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy were the first in which the medals were placed around the neck of the athletes. The medals hung from a chain of laurel leaves, while they are now hung from a coloured ribbon. When Athens hosted the 2004 Summer Olympics the competitors on the podium also received an olive wreath crown. In the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, each medalist received a wooden statuette of the Olympic logo.