Olympic medals for most athletes, with the possible exception of football players and professional boxers, are the highest recognition of their talent, the crowning achievement of their career, something that most of them strive for all their lives. Their design and appearance have always received increased attention, many of them remained in the memory of not only athletes, but also ordinary fans for a long time.
As you know, Olympic medals appeared only with the revival of these sports at the end of the 19th century. In 1894, two years before the Games in Athens, a special decision was made to award the winner and prize-winners, while gold had to correspond to the first place, silver to the second, and bronze to the third.
According to the decision of the same congress, Olympic gold medals, as well as silver ones, were to be made of 925 silver. From above, they, unlike awards for second place, were to be covered with 6 grams of pure gold. Third place finishers were to receive a high quality bronze medal.
The first Olympic medals, designed by the Frenchman J. Chaplin, on one side had an image of Zeus with the goddess of victory, Nike, and on the other, the ancient Greek Acropolis with an inscription claiming that its owner was the winner of the Olympic Games. In total, forty-three sets of awards were played in Athens-1896, the weight of one medal was only forty-seven grams.
Olympic medals, photos of which become public about a year before the start of the games, are usually most directly related to the traditions of the country in which these competitions are held. There are no uniform requirements for their appearance, much depends on the designer and organizers. Even their shape was not always a circle. For example, in 1900, the awards were made in the form of small rectangles, on the sides of which Nika and the same Acropolis were depicted.
Until 1960, Olympic medals were awarded directly to the hands, but in Rome for the first time they were hung on bronze chains. From that moment on, the awards ceremony became more solemn and beautiful, and the awards on the chest of the athletes began to look more impressive. After 38 years, an additional eyelet appeared in the medals, into which the ribbon began to be threaded. This tradition continues to this day.
Olympic medals, in addition to awards to the winner and prize-winners, include the famousOrder of P. de Coubertin. It is considered the highest award of the International Olympic Committee and is awarded to those athletes and functionaries who have made a significant contribution to the development of the Olympic movement. In the sports hierarchy, this award is considered even more prestigious than a gold medal.
Olympic medals are awarded in a solemn atmosphere, while the anthem of the winning country is played and its flag is raised. The person who receives this award will forever remain in the annals of an outstanding athlete of his generation, a person who has overcome himself.
