Olympic medal

An Olympic medal is given to athletes who do very well in the Olympic Games. There are three kinds of medals: gold, silver, and bronze. The person who comes in first place gets a gold medal. The person in second place gets a silver medal. The person in third place gets a bronze medal. These medals are part of the rules and traditions of the Olympics.

The look of the medals has changed a lot since the first Olympics in 1896, especially for the Summer Olympic Games. The design used for the 1928 Games was used until the 2004 Games in Athens. After that, the design changed to show the Greek Panathenaic Stadium instead of the Roman Colosseum. For the Winter Olympic Games, the medals do not all look the same, but they often have snowflakes and pictures of the event on them.

Some countries give money or special gifts to their athletes when they win medals. In the 2024 Paris Games, many countries said they would give prizes to their medal winners. This helps support the athletes and celebrate their success. For tables of medals won by country, see All-time Olympic Games medal table. For lists of athletes who have won medals, see Lists of Olympic medalists.

Introduction and early history

In the Ancient Olympic Games, winners got an olive wreath from the wild-olive tree at Olympia. This started when Heracles added it for the running race to honor Zeus.

When the modern Olympic Games began in 1896, winners got medals. At the first Games in Athens, Greece, winners got a silver medal and an olive branch. Runners-up got a laurel branch and a copper or bronze medal.

The 1900 Summer Olympics had special rectangular medals made by Frédérique Vernon. Different colors of medals were given for different places in different sports. The usual order of gold medals, silver medals, and bronze medals for first, second, and third places started at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. The International Olympic Committee decided that athletes from earlier Games could also get these medals. If athletes tie, they all get the same medal. Some sports, like boxing, judo, taekwondo, and wrestling, give two bronze medals for each competition.

Production and design

The Olympic medals follow rules set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The top three competitors in each event get medals — gold for first place, silver for second, and bronze for third. Medals are usually round and have a place for a ribbon or chain. They must be at least 60 mm across and 3 mm thick.

Gold medals are made mostly of silver and covered with a little gold. Silver medals are made of silver, and bronze medals are made of copper mixed with small amounts of tin and zinc. Each medal shows details about the sport and the Olympic Games it was awarded in.

The first Olympic medals were made in 1896 by a French sculptor and showed the Greek goddess of victory and a big building in Athens. A famous design called Trionfo, chosen in 1928, showed the goddess holding a winner’s crown and an old Roman building. This design was used for many years, with updates to show the host city and Games number. Over time, host cities have been allowed to create their own designs for the back of the medals. Winter Olympics medals have more variety in shape and material than Summer Olympics medals.

Individual design details

Summer Olympic medal designs

The medals from the Summer Olympic Games have unique designs that celebrate the host city and its culture.

Winter Olympic medal designs

The medals from the Winter Olympic Games also feature special designs that honor the host city and its traditions.

Games	Host	Details	Designer(s)	Mint	Diameter (mm)	Thickness (mm)	Weight (g)	image
1896	Athens, Greece	Obverse: Zeus holding Nike Reverse: The Acropolis of Athens	Jules-Clément Chaplain	Paris Mint	48	3.8	047
1900	Paris, France	Obverse: Winged goddess (possibly Nike) 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	Frédérique Vernon	Paris Mint	59 x 41	3.2	053
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	021
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	Bertram Mackennal	Vaughton & Sons	33	4.4	021
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	Bertram Mackennal (obverse) Erik Lindberg (reverse)	C.C. Sporrong & Co	33.4	1.5	024
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	Josuë Dupon	Coosmans	59	4.4	079
1924	Paris, France	Obverse: An athlete helping another to stand Reverse: A Lyre and various items of sports equipment	André Rivaud	Paris Mint	55	4.8	079
1928	Amsterdam, Netherlands	Design: Trionfo Note: This obverse design, sometimes recreated, remains until 2004, the reverse design remained until 1972	Giuseppe Cassioli	Dutch State Mint	55	3	066
1932	Los Angeles, California, U.S.	Design: Trionfo	Giuseppe Cassioli	Whitehead & Hoag	55.3	5.7	096
1936	Berlin, Germany	Design: Trionfo	Giuseppe Cassioli	B.H. Mayer	55	5	071
1948	London, Great Britain	Design: Trionfo	Giuseppe Cassioli	John Pinches	51.4	5.1	060
1952	Helsinki, Finland	Design: Trionfo Edge: 916 M / Y6 (Factory Stamp)	Giuseppe Cassioli	Kultakeskus Oy	51	4.8	046.5
1956	Melbourne, Australia	Design: Trionfo	Giuseppe Cassioli	K.G. Luke	51	4.8	068
1960	Rome, Italy	Design: Trionfo Surround: A bronze laurel wreath and laurel leaf chain (The Rome games were the first to place the medal around the athletes neck)	Giuseppe Cassioli	Stabilimenti Artistici Fiorentini	68	6.5	211
1964	Tokyo, Japan	Design: Trionfo	Giuseppe Cassioli and Toshikaka Koshiba	Japan Mint	60	7.5	062
1968	Mexico City, Mexico	Design: Trionfo	Giuseppe Cassioli		60	6	130
1972	Munich, West Germany	Obverse: Trionfo Reverse: Castor and Pollux, twin sons of Zeus and Leda Edge: Winner's name and sport	Giuseppe Cassioli (obverse) Gerhard Marcks (reverse)	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	Giuseppe Cassioli (obverse)	Royal Canadian Mint	60	5.8	154
1980	Moscow, Russia	Obverse: Trionfo Reverse: A stylised Olympic flame and the Moscow Games logo	Giuseppe Cassioli (obverse) Ilya Postol (reverse)	Moscow Mint	60	6.8	125
1984	Los Angeles, California, U.S.	Obverse: Trionfo Reverse: An Olympic champion held aloft by a crowd Note: The reverse returns to the Cassioli design	Giuseppe Cassioli	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	Giuseppe Cassioli (obverse)	Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation	60	7	152
1992	Barcelona, Spain	Obverse: Updated interpretation of Trionfo Reverse: Barcelona Games logo	Xavier Corbero	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	Wojciech Pietranik	Royal Australian Mint	68	5	180
2004	Athens, Greece	Obverse: Nike of Paionios with Panathenaic Stadium and the Acropolis of Athens in the background Reverse: The Olympic Flame, the opening lines of Pindar's Eighth Olympic Ode, and the Athens Games logo	Elena Votsi	Efsimon	60	5	135
2008	Beijing, China	Obverse: Nike with Panathenaic Stadium and the Acropolis of Athens in the background Reverse: A jade ring with the Beijing Games logo in the centre and the event details on the outer edge	Xiao Yong	China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation	70	6	200
2012	London, United Kingdom	Obverse: Nike with Panathenaic Stadium and the Acropolis of Athens in the background Reverse: The River Thames and the London Games logo with angled lines in the background	David Watkins	Royal Mint	85	8–10	357–412
2016	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Obverse: Nike with Panathenaic Stadium and the Acropolis of Athens 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.	Chelles and Hayashi	Casa da Moeda do Brasil	85	6–11	500
2020	Tokyo, Japan	Obverse: Nike with Panathenaic Stadium and the Acropolis of Athens in the background Reverse: The Tokyo 2020 logo and name, surrounded by rays of sun.	Junichi Kawanishi	Japan Mint	85	7.7–12.1	450–556
2024	Paris, France	Obverse: Nike with Panathenaic Stadium, the Acropolis of Athens, and the Eiffel Tower in the background, surrounded by rays 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

Games	Host	Details	Designer(s)	Mint	Diameter (mm)	Thickness (mm)	Weight (g)	Image
1924	Chamonix, France	Obverse: A skier holding skates and skis and the designer's name Reverse: Written information about the Games	Raoul Bénard	Monnaire de Paris	055	04	075
1928	St. Moritz, Switzerland	Obverse: A skater surrounded by snowflakes Reverse: Olive branches and host details	Arnold Hunerwadel	Huguenin Frères	050.4	03	051
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	055	03	051
1936	Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany	Obverse: Nike atop a horse-drawn chariot traversing an arch over winter sporting equipment Reverse: Large Olympic rings	Richard Klein	Deschler & Sohn	100	04	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	Paul Andre Droz	Huguenin Frères	060.2	03.8	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	Vasos Falireus and Knut Yvan	Th. Marthinsen	070	03	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	Costanttino Affer	A.E. Lorioli Fratelli	060.2	03	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	Herff Jones Company	055.3	04.3	095
1964	Innsbruck, Austria	Obverse: Torlauf Mountains, "Innsbruck 1964", and "Torlauf" Reverse: The Olympic rings above the emblem of Innsbruck with host details around them	Martha Coufal (obverse) Arthur Zegler (reverse)	Münze Österreich	072	04	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	Roger Excoffon	Monnaire de Paris	061	03.3	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	Yagi Kazumi (obverse) Ikko Tanaka (reverse)	Dokuritsu Gyōsei Hōjin Zōheikyoku	057.3 x 61.3	05	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	Martha Coufal (obverse) Arthur Zegler (reverse)	Münze Österreich	070	05.4	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	081	06.1	205
1984	Sarajevo, Yugoslavia	Obverse: Event logo with host details surrounding it Reverse: An athlete's head wearing a laurel crown Shape: Circular but set in a large rounded rectangular shape	Nebojša Mitrić	Zlatara Majdanpek and Zavod za izradu novčanica	71.1 x 65.1	03.1	164
1988	Calgary, Alberta, Canada	Obverse: Event pictogram with host details surrounding it Reverse: Two people, one wearing a laurel and the other wearing a headdress made up of winter sports equipment	Fridrich Peter	Jostens	069	05	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	René Lalique	092	09.1	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	Ingjerd Hanevold	Th. Marthinsen	080	08.5	131
1998	Nagano, Japan	Obverse: Partly lacquered, shows the Games emblem Reverse: Mainly lacquer, containing the Games emblem over the Shinshu mountains	Takeshi Ito	Kiso Kurashi Craft Center	080	08	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	Scott Given, Axiom Design	O.C. Tanner	085	10	567
2006	Turin, Italy	Obverse: Graphic elements of the Games Reverse: Pictogram of the specific event Edge: words "XX Olympic Winter Games" in Italian, English, and French Shape: Circular with a hole representing a piazza	Dario Quatrini	Ottaviani	107	10	469
2010	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada	Obverse: An individually cropped section of a large First Nations artwork (orca or raven), making each medal unique Reverse: Emblem of the Games and event details Shape: Circular but with undulations stopping it from being flat	Corrine Hunt and Omer Arbel	Royal Canadian Mint	100	06	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 Edge: words "XXII Olympic Winter Games" in Russian, English, and French Shape: Circular	ADAMAS	ADAMAS	100	10	460, 525, 531
2018	Pyeongchang County, South Korea	Obverse: Abstract design resembling ripples in a field of snow Reverse: Hangul messages "symbolising the effort of athletes from around the world" Edge: words "Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018" in Korean (stylized) and English	Lee Suk-woo		92.5	6.91	586, 580, 493
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 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
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

Participation medals

Since the modern Olympics began, athletes, their support staff, event officials, and some volunteers who help plan and manage the games have received special commemorative medals and diplomas. These medals are different for each Olympic Festival and change for the summer and winter games.

Presentation

The way Olympic medals are given to winners changed a lot until the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Before that, medals were given at the closing ceremony, and athletes wore special evening clothes. The podium, where winners stand to get their medals, was first used in 1931 because of Henri de Baillet-Latour. The gold medalist stands in the middle, higher up, with silver to their right and bronze to their left.

In the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy, medals were placed around the athletes' necks for the first time. Today, medals hang from colored ribbons. In the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, each winner also got a wooden statuette of the Olympic logo.