Specifications of Olympic Medals

The system of gold, silver and bronze medals first appeared at the 1908 Olympic Games in London. Since that time, the International Olympic Committee, or IOC, has governed the specifications of each newly designed medal, setting a standard for one of the most prestigious and sought-after prizes in the sporting world.

  1. Size

    • The guide to IOC protocols states that all Olympic medals shall be at least 60 mm in diameter and 3 mm thick. The host nation can decide the final dimensions of the medals, as long as they meet these minimum requirements. For example, the Sydney 2000 medals had a diameter of 68 mm, whereas the Athens 2004 medal designers reduced the design to 60 mm. The Beijing 2008 medals were particularly large, measuring 70 mm in diameter and 6 mm thick.

    Materials

    • Olympic medals are not as pure as their gold, silver and bronze nomenclature implies. According to IOC protocols, both first- and second-place medals must be made of silver of "at least 925-1000 grade"; the gold medal must be gilded with at least 6 g of pure gold. Bronze medals are made of bronze, an alloy made primarily of copper with added metals, such as tin or zinc. The bronze medals used in the Sydney 2000 Olympics were made from melted down one-cent and two-cent coins, according to the Olympic Museum website.

    Design

    • The obverse side of each Olympic medal must adopt the standard design prescribed by the IOC. This design features a representation of Nike, the winged goddess of victory, and the Panathinaikos Arena. Since the Amsterdam Olympics in 1928, Nike has been portrayed as a seated figure. The IOC changed the portrayal of Nike to a winged, upright figure for both Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008. The reverse side of each medal allows for greater freedom of design. The Los Angeles 2008 design, for example, features a victorious athlete held aloft on the shoulders of his fellow athletes. The reverse of the Sydney 2000 medal shows the Olympic rings and the Sydney Opera House.

    Winter Olympics

    • Medal specifications for the Winter Olympics are not as strict. The host nation decides upon the designs featured on both the obverse and reverse sides of each medal, and the weight restrictions laid down by the IOC do not apply. The gold and silver medals used for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics weighed 567 g each -- a notable difference from the more standard 180 g medals designed for the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. According to the IOC, the Salt Lake City medals were also the first in Olympic history to feature various designs for each sport.