Gold Medals Aren't Pure Gold: Modern gold medals are primarily made of silver. They are required to contain at least six grams of gold plating over 92.5% pure silver.
Silver and Bronze Composition: Silver medals are entirely composed of 92.5% silver, while bronze medals are made of copper with a small amount of zinc and tin.
Size and Weight: Medals have increased in size over the years. For example, the gold medal for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics weighed about 556 grams (almost 20 ounces) and was 85 millimeters in diameter.
Medals Recycling: The medals for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were made from recycled electronic devices, such as old smartphones and laptops, collected from the public.
Medals Recycling: The medals for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were made from recycled electronic devices, such as old smartphones and laptops, collected from the public.
The First Medals: The first modern Olympic Games in 1896 awarded winners a silver medal and an olive branch. The gold, silver, and bronze system was introduced at the 1904 St. Louis Olympics.