The organizers of the Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympics in 2026 presented the medals on Tuesday. According to the organizing committee, the medals would not break quickly, unlike those of the Paris Games.
The medals traditionally have the five Olympic rings on one side and an inscription on the other with the details of the event and the location. The same applies to the Paralympic Games medals.
The medals are made by the IPZS, the mint of Italy. They are made of recycled metal from their own production waste and have an environmentally friendly non-toxic protective layer.
There are 245 gold, 245 silver, and 245 bronze medals for the Winter Games. The gold medal weighs 506 grams, including 6 grams of gold. The silver medal weighs 500 grams, and the bronze medal weighs 420 grams. The medals have a diameter of 8 centimeters and are 1 centimeter thick.
For the Paralympic Games, there are 137 medals of each type. The Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina are from February 6 to 22. The Paralympic Games are in the following month.
After the Paris Games in the summer of 2024, there was much ado about damaged and worn medals. “I can assure you that these will not break,” promised the chairman of the organizing committee, Giovanni Malagò. “They can even be recycled, although I hope nobody does that.”