Olympic Medals

Sports Awards & Achievements

Today’s Olympic gold medals are mostly silver and must meet strict specifications. Since 1912, Olympic gold medals have been required to contain at least 92.5 percent silver (...

sports-awards

Most modern "gold" medals are not solid gold; they are silver plated with a thin layer of gold. Since 1912 the Olympic Charter has specified that gold medals must contain at lea...

sports-sports-awards

Modern Olympic gold medals are predominantly silver and only plated with gold. Since 1912, the rules have required that gold medals be made mostly of silver; from 1972 onward th...

sports-awards

An Olympic gold medal’s weight is determined by strict specifications that balance symbolism with practicality. While the name suggests pure gold, modern gold medals are predo...

sports-olympics

A gold medal is awarded to the winner of each individual event or the winning team in team events at the Winter Olympic Games. Each sport defines its own medal events, and medal...

Sports Figures

Across five Olympic cycles from 2000 to 2016, Michael Phelps earned a total of 28 medals, including 23 golds. His medal counts per Games are precise and well documented in offic...

sports-achievements

Laurie Hernandez is an American gymnast best known for her Olympic achievements, apparatus excellence, and precision on balance beam and floor exercise. This profile focuses on...

sports-awards

Modern Olympic gold medals are not solid gold but are required by the IOC to be at least 92.5 percent silver (sterling silver) plated with at least 6 grams of gold. Since 1912 t...

sports-numbers

An Olympic gold medal is primarily a symbol of sporting achievement, but its monetary value comes from a combination of its precious metal content, historic importance, and mark...

sports-and-olympics

Modern Olympic gold medals are primarily silver by mass, plated with at least 6 grams of gold. Since 1912, regulations have required gold-plated silver rather than solid gold, b...