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:
The first Olympic medals in 1896 were designed by French sculptor Jules-Clément Chaplain and depicted Zeus holding Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, on the obverse and the Acropolis on the reverse. They were made by the Paris Mint, which also made the medals for the 1900 Olympic Games, hosted by Paris. This started the tradition of giving the responsibility of minting the medals to the host city. For the next few Olympiads the host city also chose the medal design. Until 1912 the gold medals were made of solid gold.

''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:
GamesHostDetailsDesignerMintDiameter
Thickness
Weight
image
1896Athens, GreeceObverse: Zeus holding Nike
Reverse: The Acropolis
Paris Mint483.847
1900Paris, FranceObverse: 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 Mint59 x 413.253
1904St. 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 & ClustDieges & Clust37.83.521
1908London, Great BritainObverse: An athlete receiving a laurel crown from two female figures
Reverse: Saint George atop a horse
Edge: "Vaughton", event name and winner
Vaughton & Sons334.421
1912Stockholm, SwedenObverse: 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 & Co33.41.524
1920Antwerp, BelgiumObverse: An athlete holding a laurel crown and a palm leaf
Reverse: Statue of Silvius Brabo
Edge: Name, event, team, "Antwerp", and the date
Coosmans594.479
1924Paris, FranceObverse: An athlete helping another to stand
Reverse: A harp and various items of sports equipment
Paris Mint554.879
1928Amsterdam, NetherlandsDesign: Trionfo
Note: This obverse design, sometimes recreated, remains until 2004, the reverse design remained until 1972
Dutch State Mint55366
1932Los Angeles, U.S.Design: TrionfoWhitehead & Hoag55.35.796
1936Berlin, GermanyDesign: Trionfo
"B.H MAYER PFORZHEIM 990"
B.H. Mayer55571
1948London, Great BritainDesign: TrionfoJohn Pinches51.45.160
1952Helsinki, FinlandDesign: Trionfo
Edge: 916 M / Y6
Kultakeskus Oy514.846.5
1956Melbourne, AustraliaDesign: TrionfoK.G. Luke514.868
1960Rome, ItalyDesign: Trionfo
Surround: A bronze laurel wreath and laurel leaf chain
Artistice Fiorentini686.5211
1964Tokyo, JapanDesign: Trionfo and Japan Mint607.562
1968Mexico City, MexicoDesign: Trionfo606130
1972Munich, GermanyObverse: Trionfo
Reverse: Castor and Pollux, twin sons of Zeus and Leda
Edge: Winner's name and sport

Bavarian Mint666.5102
1976Montreal, Quebec, CanadaObverse: Trionfo
Reverse: A stylised laurel crown and the Montreal Games logo
Edge: Name of the sport
Royal Canadian Mint605.8154
1980Moscow, RussiaObverse: Trionfo
Reverse: A stylised Olympic flame and the Moscow Games logo

Moscow Mint606.8125
1984Los Angeles, U.S.Obverse: Trionfo
Reverse:An Olympic champion held aloft by a crowd
Note: The reverse returns to the Cassioli design
Jostens, Inc607.9141
1988Seoul, South KoreaObverse: Trionfo
Reverse: An outline of a dove carrying a laurel branch and the Seoul Olympic logo
Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation607152
1992Barcelona, SpainObverse: Updated interpretation of Trionfo
Reverse: Barcelona Games logo
Royal Mint of Spain709.8231
1996Atlanta, 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 DesignersReed & Barton705181
2000Sydney, AustraliaObverse: Updated interpretation of Trionfo
Reverse: The Sydney Opera House, Olympic Flame, and Olympic rings
Edge: Event name
Royal Australian Mint685180
2004Athens, GreeceObverse: 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
605135
2008Beijing, ChinaObverse: 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 Corporation706200
2012London, United KingdomObverse: Nike with Panathinaiko Stadium in the background
Reverse: The River Thames and the London Games logo with angled lines in the background
Royal Mint858–10357–412
2016Rio de Janeiro, BrazilObverse: 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 Brasil856-11500
2020Tokyo, JapanObverse: 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:
GamesHostDetailsDesignerMintDiameter
Thickness
Weight
Image
1924Chamonix, FranceObverse: A skier holding skates and skis and the designer's name
Reverse: Written information about the Games
Paris Mint55475
1928St. Moritz, SwitzerlandObverse: A skater surrounded by snowflakes
Reverse: Olive branches and host details
Huguenin Frères50.4351
1932Lake 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 Company55351
1936Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GermanyObverse: Nike atop a horse-drawn chariot traversing an arch over winter sporting equipment
Reverse: Large Olympic rings
Deschler & Sohn1004324
1948St. Moritz, SwitzerlandObverse: The Olympic torch with snowflakes in the background and the Olympic motto Citius, Altius, Fortius
Reverse: A snowflake and written host details
Huguenin Frères60.23.8103
1952Oslo, NorwayObverse: 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. Marthinsen703137.5
1956Cortina d'Ampezzo, ItalyObverse: 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.60.23120.5
1960Squaw 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 Company55.34.395
1964Innsbruck, AustriaObverse: Torlauf Mountains, "Innsbruck 1964", and "Torlauf"
Reverse: The Olympic rings above the emblem of Innsbruck with host details around them

Austrian Mint724110
1968Grenoble, FranceObverse: Three snowflakes and the red rose emblem of Grenoble surrounded by host details
Reverse: A stylised image of each sport
Paris Mint613.3124
1972Sapporo, JapanObverse: 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 Ministry57.3 x 61.35130
1976Innsbruck, AustriaObverse: The Olympic rings above the emblem of Innsbruck with host details around them
Reverse: The Alps, Bergisel, and the Olympic flame

Austrian Mint705.4164
1980Lake 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 GunzerMedallic Art Company816.1205
1984Sarajevo, YugoslaviaObverse: 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 novčanica71.1 x 65.13.1164
1988Calgary, Alberta, CanadaObverse: 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
Jostens695193
1992Albertville, FranceObverse: Glass set into the metal, showing the Olympic rings in front of mountains
Reverse: Rear side of glass section
René Lalique929.1169
1994Lillehammer, NorwaySparagmite 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 emblemTh. Marthinsen808.5131
1998Nagano, JapanObverse: Partly lacquered, shows the Games emblem
Reverse: Mainly lacquer, containing the Games emblem over the Shinshu mountains
Kiso Kurashi Craft Center808261
2002Salt 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 DesignO.C. Tanner8510567
2006Turin, ItalyObverse: Graphic elements of the Games
Reverse: Pictogram of the specific event
Shape: Circular with a hole representing a piazza
Ottaviani10710469
2010Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaObverse: 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 Mint1006500–576
2014Sochi, Russian FederationObverse: "Patchwork quilt" design representing different regions of Russia
Reverse: Name of the competition in English and the Sochi logo
Shape: Circular
ADAMASADAMAS10010460, 525, 531
2018Pyeongchang County, South KoreaHangul "symbolising the effort of athletes from around the world"Lee Suk-woo92.5586, 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.