We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.

What Are Olympic Gold Medals Made of?

Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 5,237
Share

Contrary to what most people think, Olympic gold medals are made mostly of silver not gold. They have not been made from solid gold since the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. The International Olympics Committee (IOC) has mandated that Olympic gold medals contain at least 0.21 oz (6 g) of gold, but they are usually silver with gold plating.

What Other Materials Are Used?

The actual composition of the medal varies from one Olympiad to the next. For example, the 2012 London Olympic gold medals contained 6% copper and 93% silver, with only 1.34% gold. Aside from the gold plating, a gold medal and a silver medal have virtually the same makeup; silver medals replace the gold with more copper. Exotic materials have been introduced into the medals in other Games, including jade for the 2008 Beijing Games.

Other Olympic Medal Facts

  • Ancient Olympians were awarded with horseshoe-shaped olive wreaths (called kotinos) that the winner (there was only one) wore atop his head.

  • At the first modern Olympic games (in Athens in 1896), the winner was awarded a silver medal. The 1904 Olympiad in St. Louis, Missouri featured the first gold medals.

  • The shape and size of Olympic medals have changed over the years. Today, they are round and about 2.75 inches (7 cm) in diameter but in 1896 they were less than 2 inches (48 mm) in diameter. In 1900, the medals had a rectangular shape.

Share

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-are-olympic-gold-medals-made-of.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.