An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal to be won: gold, silver, and bronze, awarded to first, second, and third place, respectively. The granting of awards is laid out in detail in the Olympic protocols.
Medal designs have varied considerably since the Games in 1896, particularly in the size of the medals for the Summer Olympic Games. The design selected for the 1928 Games remained until its replacement at the 2004 Games in Athens, where the use of the Roman Colosseum was replaced by the Greek Panathenaic Stadium, appropriate to represent Olympic values. 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. In the 2024 Paris Games, 33 countries confirmed that they would award prizes to medallists, with 15 awarding cash prizes over $100,000.
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, whilst runners-up received a laurel branch and a copper or bronze medal.
thumb|150px|A [[silver medal from the 1900 Summer Olympics, designed by ]]
The 1900 Summer Olympics is unique in being the only Olympic Games to feature rectangular medals, which were designed by . Gilt silver medals were awarded for 1st place in shooting, lifesaving, automobile racing and gymnastics. Second place silver medals were awarded in shooting, rowing, yachting, tennis, gymnastics, sabre, fencing, equestrian and athletics. 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 (such as boxing, judo, taekwondo and wrestling) 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.
- 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 (the gold medal): It is composed at least 92.5% of silver, plated with 6 grams of gold; the metal value was about US$494 in 2010. At the 2020 Summer Olympics held in 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, the medal at then-current prices was worth about $800.
- Second place (the silver medal): 92.5% silver; the metal value was about US$260 in 2010. At the Tokyo games it was 95% copper and 5% zinc with a metal value of about $5.
Trionfo
thumb|The [[bronze medal from the 1980 Summer Olympics showing Cassioli's obverse design portraying Nike, the Greek goddess of victory]]
In 1923 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) 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. 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. 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 new obverse design remains in use.
Custom reverse designs
The German Olympic Committee, Nationales Olympisches Komitee für Deutschland, was 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, Summer Paralympic Games and Winter Paralympic Games. There has been a greater variety of design applications 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 (1992), sparagmite (1994), and lacquer (1998). 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 designs for 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:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! scope="col"|Games
! scope="col"|Host
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Details
! scope="col"|Designer(s)
! scope="col"|Mint
! scope="col"|Diameter<br />(mm)
! scope="col"|Thickness<br />(mm)
! scope="col"|Weight<br />(g)
! scope="col"|image
|-
| 1896
| Athens, Greece
| Obverse: Zeus holding Nike<br />Reverse: The Acropolis of Athens
|
| Paris Mint
| 48
| 3.8
| 47
| 100px
|-
| 1900
| Paris, France
| Obverse: Winged goddess (possibly Nike) holding laurel branches; Paris in the background<br />Reverse: A victorious athlete holding a laurel branch; the Acropolis in the background<br /> Note: The only Summer Olympic medal that is not circular
|
| Paris Mint
| 59 x 41
| 3.2
| 53
|left|frameless|158x158px
|-
| 1904
| St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
| Obverse: Nike holding a laurel crown and a palm leaf<br />Reverse: An athlete holding a laurel crown; Greek temple in the background
| Dieges & Clust
| Dieges & Clust
| 37.8
| 3.5
| 21
|100px
|-
| 1908
| London, Great Britain
| Obverse: An athlete receiving a laurel crown from two female figures<br />Reverse: Saint George atop a horse<br />Edge: "Vaughton", event name and winner
|
| Vaughton & Sons
| 33
| 4.4
| 21
|left|frameless|131x131px
|-
| 1912
| Stockholm, Sweden
| Obverse: An athlete receiving a laurel crown from two female figures<br />Reverse: A herald opening the Games with a statue of Pehr Henrik Ling behind him
| (obverse)<br />Erik Lindberg (reverse)
| C.C. Sporrong & Co
| 33.4
| 1.5
| 24
|left|frameless|185x185px
|-
| 1920
| Antwerp, Belgium
| Obverse: An athlete holding a laurel crown and a palm leaf<br />Reverse: Statue of Silvius Brabo<br />Edge: Name, event, team, "Antwerp", and the date
|
| Coosmans
| 59
| 4.4
| 79
|
|-
| 1924
| Paris, France
| Obverse: An athlete helping another to stand<br />Reverse: A Lyre and various items of sports equipment
|
| Paris Mint
| 55
| 4.8
| 79
|left|frameless|167x167px
|-
| 1928
| Amsterdam, Netherlands
| Design: Trionfo<br />Note: This obverse design, sometimes recreated, remains until 2004, the reverse design remained until 1972
|
| Dutch State Mint
| 55
| 3
| 66
|left|frameless|175x175px
|-
| 1932
| Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| Design: Trionfo
|
| Whitehead & Hoag
| 55.3
| 5.7
| 96
|left|frameless|175x175px
|-
| 1936
| Berlin, Germany
| Design: Trionfo
|
| B.H. Mayer
| 55
| 5
| 71
|left|frameless|168x168px
|-
| 1948
| London, Great Britain
| Design: Trionfo
|
| John Pinches
| 51.4
| 5.1
| 60
| 180px
|-
| 1952
| Helsinki, Finland
| Design: Trionfo<br />Edge: 916 M / Y6 (Factory Stamp)
|
| Kultakeskus Oy
| 51
| 4.8
| 46.5
|
|-
| 1956
| Melbourne, Australia
| Design: Trionfo
|
| K.G. Luke
| 51
| 4.8
| 68
|
|-
| 1960
| Rome, Italy
| Design: Trionfo<br />Surround: A bronze laurel wreath and laurel leaf chain
(The Rome games were the first to place the medal around the athletes neck)
|
| Stabilimenti Artistici Fiorentini
| 68
| 6.5
| 211
|100pxframeless|150x150px
|-
| 1964
| Tokyo, Japan
| Design: Trionfo
| and
| Japan Mint
| 60
| 7.5
| 62
| 100px
|-
| 1968
| Mexico City, Mexico
| Design: Trionfo
|
|
| 60
| 6
| 130
| 100px
|-
| 1972
| Munich, West Germany
| Obverse: Trionfo<br />Reverse: Castor and Pollux, twin sons of Zeus and Leda<br />Edge: Winner's name and sport
| (obverse)<br /> (reverse)
| Bavarian Mint
| 66
| 6.5
| 102
|left|frameless|145x145px
|-
| 1976
| Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| Obverse: Trionfo<br />Reverse: A stylised laurel crown and the Montreal Games logo<br />Edge: Name of the sport
| (obverse)
| Royal Canadian Mint
| 60
| 5.8
| 154
|
|-
| 1980
| Moscow, Russia
| Obverse: Trionfo<br />Reverse: A stylised Olympic flame and the Moscow Games logo
| (obverse)<br /> (reverse)
| Moscow Mint
| 60
| 6.8
| 125
|left|frameless|138x138px
|-
| 1984
| Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| Obverse: Trionfo<br />Reverse: An Olympic champion held aloft by a crowd<br />Note: The reverse returns to the Cassioli design
|
| Jostens, Inc
| 60
| 7.9
| 141
|
|-
| 1988
| Seoul, South Korea
| Obverse: Trionfo<br />Reverse: An outline of a dove carrying a laurel branch and the Seoul Olympic logo
| (obverse)
| Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation
| 60
| 7
| 152
| left|frameless|138x138px
|-
| 1992
| Barcelona, Spain
| Obverse: Updated interpretation of Trionfo<br />Reverse: Barcelona Games logo
|
| Royal Mint of Spain
| 70
| 9.8
| 231
|
|-
| 1996
| Atlanta, U.S.
| Obverse: Updated interpretation of Trionfo<br />Reverse: A stylised olive branch, the Atlanta Games logo, and "Centennial Olympic Games"<br />Edge: "Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games"
| Malcolm Grear Designers
| Reed & Barton
| 70
| 5
| 181
| left|frameless|138x138px
|-
| 2000
| Sydney, Australia
| Obverse: Updated interpretation of Trionfo<br />Reverse: The Sydney Opera House, Olympic Flame, and Olympic rings<br />Edge: Event name
|
| Royal Australian Mint
| 68
| 5
| 180
|
|-
| 2004
| Athens, Greece
| Obverse: Nike of Paionios with Panathenaic Stadium and the Acropolis of Athens in the background<br />Reverse: The Olympic Flame, the opening lines of Pindar's Eighth Olympic Ode, and the Athens Games logo
|
| Efsimon
| 60
| 5
| 135
|left|frameless|200x200px
|-
| 2008
| Beijing, China
| Obverse: Nike with Panathenaic Stadium and the Acropolis of Athens in the background<br />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
|left|frameless|138x138px
|-
| 2012
| London, United Kingdom
| Obverse: Nike with Panathenaic Stadium and the Acropolis of Athens in the background<br />Reverse: The River Thames and the London Games logo with angled lines in the background
|
| Royal Mint
| 85
| 8–10
| 357–412
|left|frameless|138x138px
|-
| 2016
| Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| Obverse: Nike with Panathenaic Stadium and the Acropolis of Athens in the background<br />Reverse: The Rio 2016 logo and name, surrounded by a laurel leaf design in the form of the wreaths<br />Edge: The name of the event for which the medal was won is engraved by laser along the outside edge.<br />Note: For the first time, the medals are slightly thicker at their central point compared with their edges.
| Chelles and Hayashi
| Casa da Moeda do Brasil
| 85
| 6–11
| 500
| 138x138px
|-
|-
| 2020
| Tokyo, Japan
| Obverse: Nike with Panathenaic Stadium and the Acropolis of Athens in the background<br />Reverse: The Tokyo 2020 logo and name, surrounded by rays of sun.
| Junichi Kawanishi
| Japan Mint
| 85
| 7.7–12.1
| 450–556
|left|frameless|138x138px
|-
| 2024
| Paris, France
| Obverse: Nike with Panathenaic Stadium, the Acropolis of Athens, and the Eiffel Tower in the background, surrounded by rays<br />Reverse: Hexagonal tokens of iron taken from the original construction of the Eiffel Tower engraved with the Paris 2024 logo, surrounded by rays
| Chaumet
| Monnaie de Paris
| 85
| 9.2
| 455–529
|left|frameless|138x138px
|}
Winter Olympic medal designs
Details about the medals from each of the Winter Olympic Games:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! scope="col"|Games
! scope="col"|Host
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Details
! scope="col"|Designer(s)
! scope="col"|Mint
| 100
| 10
| 460, 525, 531
|left|frameless|149x149px
|-
| 2018
| Pyeongchang County, South Korea
| Obverse: Abstract design resembling ripples in a field of snow<br />
Reverse: Hangul messages "symbolising the effort of athletes from around the world"<br />Edge: words "Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018" in Korean (stylized) and English
| Lee Suk-woo
|
| 92.5
| 6.91
| 586, 580, 493
|left|frameless
|-
| 2022
| Beijing, China
| Obverse: The same design used in the 2008 Summer Olympics as the Olympic Rings and "XXIV Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022" surrounded by traditional Chinese art of stars and clouds inside concentric circles<br />
Reverse: The same design used in the 2008 Summer Olympics, a stylized depiction of the Solar System around the logo, marking the Games coinciding with Chinese New Year festivities
| Hang Hai
|
| 87
|
| 550
|left|frameless
|-
| 2026
| Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy
| Obverse: Diagonally split surface, upper left slightly grainy, lower right smooth polished, at the center the five Olympic rings in polished relief.
Reverse: Diagonally split surface, upper right slightly grainy with the five Olympic rings and the Milano Cortina logo in polished relief, lower left smooth polished with engraved name of the discipline and specialty. Along the outer polished edge, the name of the games, engraved.
| Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato
| Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato
| 80
| 10
| 506, 500, 420
| left|frameless
|-
|}
Participation medals
thumb|upright|[[1964 Summer Olympic Games competitor medal awarded to Irish yachtsman Eddie Kelliher ]]
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 Olympic Festival, with different ones issued for the summer and winter games.
Gallery
<gallery>
File:Med 1900.jpg|Reverse of the plaque from the 1900 Olympic Games in France
File:James Graves - 2000 Olympics in Sydney.JPEG|James Graves wearing a bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics, the last version of the Trionfo design
File:Vincent Hancock wins Olympic gold.jpg|Vincent Hancock with his gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, the heaviest Summer Olympics medal prior to the 2016 Rio Olympics
</gallery>
Presentation
thumb|[[Jim Thorpe receives his medal at the 1912 Summer Olympics]]
The presentation of the medals and awards varied 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 their right and the bronze to their left.
It is customary for many medals at the Winter Olympics to be presented in a separate ceremony on the evening of or the evening after competition. At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, the "medals plaza" was popularized as a way for the public to see presentations that would have otherwise taken place at far-flung, low-capacity or high-altitude venues and to have an evening program that often included musical performances.
See also
- Lists of Olympic medalists
- Olympic Cup
- Olympic diploma
- Olympic Diploma of Merit
- Olympic Laurel
- Olympic Order
- Summer Olympic coins
- Winter Olympic coins
- James Brendan Connolly, recipient of the first winner's medal
- Pierre de Coubertin Medal, a special medal awarded by the International Olympic Committee for sportsmanship or exceptional service to the Olympic movement