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.

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Olympic medals

A silver medal awarded to the winner of an event at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.
Awarded for	Given to successful competitors in various Olympic Sports
Presented by	International Olympic Committee
History
First award	1896
Website	www.olympic.org/

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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 for many years, until its replacement at the 2004 Games in Athens as the result of controversy surrounding the use of the Roman Colosseum rather than a building representing 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^[which?] provide sums of money and gifts^[quantify] to medal winners, depending on the classes and number of medals won.^[1]

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,^[2] 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.^[3]

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.^[4] The winners were instead given a silver medal and an olive branch,^[5] while runners-up received a laurel branch and a copper or bronze medal.^[6]

The 1900 Summer Olympics is unique in being the only Olympic Games to feature rectangular medals, which were designed by Frédérique Vernon.^[7] Gilt silver medals were awarded for 1st place in shooting, lifesaving, automobile racing and gymnastics.^[8][9] Whilst 2nd place silver medals were awarded in shooting, rowing, yachting, tennis, gymnastics, sabre, fencing, equestrian and athletics.^[10] With 3rd place bronze medals being awarded in gymnastics, firefighting and shooting.^[11][12] In many sports, however, medals were not awarded. With most of the listed prizes being cups and other trophies.^[13]

The custom of the sequence of gold, silver, and bronze for the first three places in all events dates from the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri in the United States. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has retroactively assigned gold, silver and bronze medals to the three best-placed athletes in each event of the 1896 and 1900 Games.^[14][13] 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.^[15] 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.^[15] Finally, as noted below, all athletes receive a participation medal and diploma.

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 (NOC) hosting the Games, though the IOC has brought in some set rules:^[15][16]

• 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.^[17][18] At the 2020 Summer Olympics held in 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, the medal at current prices is worth about $800.^[19]
  • Second place (the silver medal): 92.5% silver;^[20] the metal value was about US$260 in 2010.^[17] At Tokyo, Japan, the medal is worth $460.^[19]
  • Third place (the bronze medal): In 2010 it was 97% copper with 0.5% tin and 2.5% zinc; the metal value was about US$3 in 2010.^[17] At the Tokyo games it was 95% copper and 5% zinc with a metal value of about $5.^[19]
• Event details: The sport for which the medal has been awarded should be written on the medal.

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.^[4] 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.^[21]

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.^[41]

• Reverse of the plaque from the 1900 Olympic Games in France
• James Graves wearing a bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics, the last version of the Trionfo design
• Vincent Hancock with his gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, the heaviest Summer Olympics medal prior to the 2016 Rio Olympics^[42]

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.^[43] The winner is in the middle at a higher elevation, with the silver medallist to the right and the bronze to the left.^[43] 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 1960 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 the next day to receive their medals.^[15][43] 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.^[28] 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.^[44]

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.

•  Olympics portal
• Summer Olympic coins
• Winter Olympic coins
• Lists of Olympic medalists
• 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