These are the medals at stake at the Olympic Games. © ANSA / UFFICIO STAMPA MILANO CORTINA 20

Olympics 2026: Paris, Goggia & Co. chase these medals

In seven months, Dominik Paris, Sofia Goggia, and others will compete for Olympic medals. The medals were presented on Tuesday – and are the first to bear the names of two host cities: Milan and Cortina.

July 15, 2025

From: dpa/det

The plaques consist of two halves, linked by the Olympic and Paralympic values, and reflect the culmination of the athletes' journey and all those who supported them along the way, it was said at the presentation of the coveted precious metal in gold, silver and bronze in Venice.

On one side are the Olympic rings and the Paralympic symbol, and on the other, the Games logo. Each medal is engraved with the respective discipline and other information. All medals have a diameter of 8 cm and a thickness of 1 cm. The gold medals weigh 500 grams, plus 6 grams of gold. The silver medal weighs 500 grams, and the bronze plaque weighs 420 grams.

Dominik Paris will compete for a medal at the Olympic Games. © ANSA / GEIR OLSEN

The Olympic Games will take place from February 6 to 22, 2026, followed by the Paralympics from March 6 to 15. A total of 1.146 medals will be awarded in 195 disciplines.

Medals are sustainable

The medals are manufactured by the Italian State Mint and Polygraphic Institute (IPZS) from recycled metal obtained from its own production waste. They are coated with an environmentally friendly, non-toxic, and recyclable protective coating. Casting takes place in induction furnaces powered entirely by renewable energy.

Swimming legend Federica Pellegrini attended the medal presentation. © ANSA / US Giunta Regione del Veneto

"I can assure you that they won't break," said Giovanni Malagò, president of the Milan-Cortina organizing committee. "They could even be recycled, although I hope no one will." After last year's Summer Games in Paris, more than 100 medals were returned by athletes because they were damaged just months after the climax.

Italy's swimming legend Federica Pellegrini and Francesca Porcellato, who won 13 Paralympic medals at 15 Summer and Winter Games, escorted the medals from Venice Santa Lucia station to the historic Palazzo Balbi on the Grand Canal, where the unveiling ceremony took place.