The history of medals has a long and profound history, undergoing a long process of development and evolution, mainly including the following stages:
During the ancient Olympic Games period:
Origin: The ancient Olympic Games can be traced back to ancient Greece in 776 BC. At that time, the competition was mainly to pay tribute to the gods, and the winner would receive a wreath of olive branches woven as a reward, which was considered a high honor. The tradition of using olive branches to honor winners reflects the high importance that ancient Olympic Games placed on honor and spiritual victory.
Early prototype of medals: Over time, in addition to olive branch wreaths, there were also some commemorative items such as pottery jars, bronze ware, etc., which were given to the winners and can be seen as the early prototype of medals. They are not only symbols of victory, but also have certain artistic value and cultural connotations, usually engraved with patterns or texts related to the Olympics.
Early Modern Olympic Games:
The 1896 Athens Olympics: The first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece in 1896, where only the first and second place winners were awarded medals. The champion will receive a silver medal, the runner up will receive a bronze medal, and the champion will also be awarded an olive branch crown, while the runner up will receive a laurel branch crown. The diameter of the medals in this Olympic Games is 50 millimeters.
The 1900 Paris Olympics: This Olympics was quite special, as it was the only one to date that did not award medals, and the champions‘ prizes were valuable artworks.
The 1904 St. Louis Olympics: At the closing ceremony of the third Olympic Games, the host country awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals to the top three winners for the first time, and this tradition has been established and continues to be used today.
During the period of gradually standardized medal design:
Standardization of Design: In 1909, the International Olympic Committee passed a regulation to standardize the design of the obverse of medals. Subsequently, the design of medals gradually became standardized, with certain requirements and specifications in terms of shape, pattern, and other aspects.
Material regulations: The Olympic Charter established in 1978 stipulates that the diameter of Olympic medals must not be less than 60 millimeters and the thickness must not be less than 3 millimeters. Gold and silver medals must be made of silver with a purity of 92.5%, and gold medals must be gold-plated with at least 6 grams. These standards to a certain extent ensure the quality and value of medals.
In the era of modern diversified development:
Design innovation: With the development of the times, the host cities of each Olympic Games have begun to make great efforts in the design of medals, incorporating cultural characteristics, ethnic elements, etc. of the host cities, making the design of medals more diverse and creative. For example, the medals of the 2008 Beijing Olympics adopted a design of "gold inlaid with jade", combining the jade culture in traditional Chinese culture with modern Olympic medals, which is unique.
Integration of environmental protection concepts: In recent years, environmental protection concepts have gradually been incorporated into the production of medals. For example, the medals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were made from recycled electronic devices donated by the Japanese public, reflecting a concern for sustainable development.
In addition to Olympic medals, medals are also set up in various sports events, academic competitions, art competitions, and other fields
