Olympics
With only 205 days to go until the Winter Games start, organizers of the 2026 Olympics at Milan-Cortina, Italy, unveiled the official Olympic and Paralympic medals on Tuesday, July 15. The medals are designed with inclusivity and symbolic weight in mind. Presented in Venice, the capital of Veneto—one of the host regions of the Games—the medals were introduced by Italian Olympian Valentina Marchei, now Head of the Ambassador Programme for Milano Cortina 2026. In a striking prelude, the medals arrived by boat along the Grand Canal, accompanied by Olympic swimming icon Federica Pellegrini and Paralympic legend Francesca Porcellato, whose 14 medals span both Summer and Winter Games.
The medals, designed by the Milan-Cortina 2026 team and crafted by Italy’s State Mint and Polygraphic Institute (IPZS), fuse elegance and sustainability. Cast from recycled metal using renewable energy and packaged in FSC-certified eco-materials, the pieces are meant to symbolize not just athletic triumph but teamwork, unity, and resilience. “Each one is a unique piece, the result of craftsmanship and innovation,” said Paolo Perrone, president of the Mint. On the front of the Olympic medals are the iconic Olympic rings, while the Paralympic medals feature the Agitos. A total of 1,146 medals have been be coined: 245 gold, 245 silver, and 245 bronze medals for the Olympic Winter Games, and 137 gold, 137 silver, and 137 bronze medals for the Paralympic Winter Games.
The design features two halves, a shiny and a matte half, which together represent the unity between Milan and Cortina as well as the Olympic and Paralympic values that bind athletes worldwide. The Paralympic medals feature Braille writing on the medals for visually impaired athletes, a feature that has been added since Sochi, Russia, in 2014. The Braille writing denotes the medal type and sport. Each medal has a diameter of 80 millimeters (approximately 3.15 inches) and a thickness of 10 millimeters (0.39 inches). The gold medal weighs 500 grams (1.1 pounds), plus an additional 6 grams (0.21 ounces) of actual gold plating. The silver medal also weighs 500 grams, while the bronze medal is slightly lighter at 420 grams (0.93 pounds). These substantial weights and dimensions reflect not only the athletes’ achievements but also the craftsmanship and significance behind each award.
The 2026 Games will mark the first Olympic Winter Games hosted jointly by two cities. Events will be spread across the northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto, as well as Trentino and South Tyrol. Alpine skiing will return to Cortina d’Ampezzo, host of the 1956 Games, while Milan will host ice hockey and figure skating. Sliding sports will take place at Cesana, and ski jumping and Nordic combined in Predazzo and Val di Fiemme. Freestyle events will be held in Livigno. The Olympic Games will be held from February 6-22, 2026, followed by the Paralympic Games from March 6-15, 2026.
