Facts About the Olympic Medal


* Olympic medals since 1928 have featured the same design on the front: a Greek goddess, the Olympic Rings, the coliseum of ancient Athens, a Greek vase known as an amphora, a horse-drawn chariot, and the year, number of the Olympiad, and host city. Additionally, each host city is allowed to add special details to the design. Also, each host city is allowed to design the reverse of the medal. The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) has selected the ACOG logo plus a pictogram of the particular sport the medal is being awarded for.

* There will be a total of 1,838 medals awarded--604 gold, 604 silver, and 630 bronze (some Olympic events do not have third- or fourth-place winners, so losers in semi-final rounds are awarded bronze medals).

* In the ancient Olympics, no medals were awarded. The first-place winner was given an olive wreath to wear on his head; second- and third-place winners received nothing.

* When the Modern Olympics were revived in 1896, first-place winners received silver medals. Strangly, gold was considered inferior to silver. Eight years later, at the 1904 Games in St. Louis, gold replaced silver for first place.

* Today's "gold" medals are actually sterling silver covered with a thin coat (6 grams or .21 ounces) of pure gold.

* Olympic medals are 7 centimeters (approximately 2 inches) in diameter.

Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 13, 1996




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