The Olympic Medal, a distinction for personal or team sporting achievements in competition at the Olympic Games, is also considered a paraphernalia used by the International Olympic Committee to promote the idea of the Olympic movement around the world.
The Olympic medal has a certain gradation:
- · Gold medal - for the first place;
- · A silver medal - for the second place;
- · A bronze medal - for the third place.
In the competitions of the Ancient Olympic Games, the award was not a medal, it was created much later. In antiquity, the awards could be anything: Hercules was awarded a wreath of wild olive, in the subsequent Hellenic National Olympic Games various prizes were raffled off. King Endymion gave his kingdom for the victory, but his sons were the participants. The winner received a large amount of gold coins, fame and various values. During the 293 Olympiads of Ancient Greece, many prizes were awarded, awarded to approximately 330 participants, but not a single medal was forged and donated.
For the first time, the decision to introduce the tradition of awarding the winners of the Games of the Olympics with medals was made by the First Olympic Congress in 1894, two years before the I Olympic Games, held in France, in the city of Paris. All the basic rules of awarding and the fundamental principles were spelled out in the main collection of statutory documents of the Olympic Movement - the Olympic Charter. The main principle described in the Olympic Charter was the distribution of medals to the winners, depending on the occupied places: the athletes who took the first and second places are awarded medals made of 925 silver, and the winner's medal must be covered with six grams of pure gold (the fineness is not specified). The medal itself is about 60 mm in diameter and 3 mm thick. For the 3rd place, athletes are awarded bronze medals. The dimensions were established, but they have changed over the years. The shape was also changed, the usual round shape was canceled in 1900 at the Games of the II Olympiad, and at the III Winter Olympic medals: gold, silver and bronze are awarded to three athletes who showed the best results in the competition. In team sports, medals of equal value are awarded to all team members.
The design of the medals awarded to athletes at the first eight Summer Olympic Games was different and was developed by each Organizing Committee independently. From 1920 to 2000, a standard design was used for the obverse of the Olympic medals. Goddess Nike with a palm branch in her right hand, honoring the winner. The reverse of the medal changed depending on the wishes of the country where the Games were held. Since 2004, this tradition has been abandoned, and both sides of the medal are made according to the unique design of the organizers of the Games.
The diameter of the 2008 Games medal was 70 mm and the thickness was 6 mm.
Gold medals are usually made mostly of silver. So, at the 2008 Games, the gold medal weighed about 150 grams, which included about 6 grams of gold. Silver medals are made from silver, bronze from copper.
At the games of 1896 and 1900, only athletes who took 1st and 2nd places were awarded medals. There was no gold medal then, and only silver and bronze were awarded. Moreover, at the 1900 Games in many types of medals were not awarded at all, and instead, the organizers awarded the participants with cups and diplomas. However, for a uniform approach in the reference literature, gold, silver and bronze medals are used for these games as well.
Until 1960, medals were made without fasteners and awarded to the winners directly into their hands. For the first time, the organizers of the 1960 Games in Rome made thin bronze chains in the shape of an olive branch so that medals could be hung around the neck of athletes. It is interesting that, introducing an innovation that was not provided for by the rules, the organizers made sure and handed the girls who were carrying out medals for awards with scissors to quickly cut the chains in case of objections. However, I liked the idea, and since then, chains or ribbons have been attached to the Olympic medals.
The most distinctive medals were cast for the Winter Olympic Games: XI in 1972, XIX Winter Olympic Games in 2002, and in 1998 for the XVIII Games medals were produced with an additional slot, melted on top, for easy threading of the ribbon. This idea was later applied to almost all Olympic medals.
Award Ceremonies. olympic symbols award anthem
The award ceremonies must be carried out in accordance with the protocol defined by the IOC. Medals and diplomas are presented by the Organizing Committee for presentation by the International Olympic Committee to which they belong.
Medals for the Olympic Games are presented by the President of the IOC (or his designated IOC member) accompanied by the President of the relevant IF (or his deputy), if possible immediately after the end of the competition and at the same place where it was held. Medals are awarded as follows: athletes who took 1st, 2nd and 3rd places take their places on the podium (they must be dressed in their official or sports uniform), facing the official tribune, the winner is slightly higher than the second prize-winner, standing to his right, and the third prize-winner, who is to his left. The names of these winners, as well as those who are awarded the Olympic diploma, are announced. On the central mast, the flag of the delegation of the country of the winning athlete is hoisted, and the flags of the countries of the second and third prize-winners are raised on adjacent masts, to the right and left of the central one, if you stand facing the arena. During the performance (in an abbreviated version) of the national anthem in honor of the winner, all three medalists face the flags.
In individual competitions, the first prize consists of a gold-plated silver medal and a diploma, the second prize consists of a silver medal and a diploma, and the third prize consists of a bronze medal and a diploma. The medals must indicate the sport and the type of competition for which they are awarded, and the medals must be attached to a detachable chain or ribbon so that it can be worn around the athlete's neck. Athletes in fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth places will also receive a diploma, but not a medal. In case of equality of results for the first, second or third place, each of the participants is entitled to a medal and a diploma.
In team sports and in team competitions in other sports, each member of the winning team that participated in the Olympic Games, in at least one match or competition, is entitled to a gold medal and diploma, each member of the team's runner-up is a silver medal and the diploma of the team that took the third place - a bronze medal and a diploma. The rest of these teams are only eligible for a diploma. The members of the teams that took the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth places will receive diplomas.
Closing ceremony of the Olympic Games.
The closing ceremony must be held at the stadium at the end of all competitions. Participants in the Olympic Games who have the right to be accommodated in the Olympic Village shall take their assigned seats in the stands. The standard-bearers of the participating delegations and the persons carrying the banners shall enter the stadium one at a time in the same order and occupy the same seats in the center of the field as at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. Athletes march behind them, without distinction of nationality. The standard bearers form a semicircle behind the podium.
The IOC President and the OCOG President rise to the rostrum. To the sound of the Greek national anthem, the flag of Greece is raised from the mast to the right of the center mast used for the awards ceremony. Then the flag of the host country is hoisted on the central mast during the performance of the anthem. Finally, on the left mast, to the sound of the anthem of the host country for the next Olympic Games, its flag is raised.
The mayor of the host city joins the IOC President on the podium and hands him the Olympic flag. The IOC President hands it over to the mayor of the host city of the next Olympic Games. This flag must be displayed in the main city hall of the host city of the next Olympic Games.
After the address of the President of the OCOG, the President of the IOC gives the closing speech, declares the Olympic Games closed and names the city where the next Games will be held.
Fanfare sounds, the Olympic flame is extinguished, and to the sound of the Olympic anthem, the Olympic flag is slowly lowered from the flagpole and carried away (unfolded, in a horizontal position) from the field, followed by the standard bearers. A farewell song is being sung.
by The Wild Mistress's NotesModern sport is a lot of money. No one is surprised by the multi-million dollar fees of the winners of major sports events. I wonder how the winners of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece were awarded?
The main award of the winner of the ancient Olympiad was a laurel wreath, the branches for which were cut from a sacred olive tree that grew next to the temple of Zeus. Moreover, the branches had to be cut with a golden knife by a boy who came from a noble family. There was one more condition: this boy must have both parents alive.
The Olympic champion was awarded in the presence of numerous spectators, the orator praised the winner and his homeland. And when leaving the stadium, enthusiastic fans often carried the champion in their arms.
The next awarding ceremony took place when the hero of the Olympics returned to his homeland. Enthusiastic compatriots expressed their admiration for the champion and, as a token of gratitude for glorifying their hometown, presented material rewards. In Athens, even a law was passed according to which the winner of the Olympics received 500 drachmas.
Poets wrote odes of praise to their compatriots, which were sung by the chorus. In addition, the winner of the Games had the right to erect his statue in Olympia. The whole question was only about financing. If the athlete came from a noble family, he could pay for the order for the manufacture of the statue himself, but most often the funds were allocated by the winner's hometown or by one of the wealthy patrons of the arts. Often the most famous masters worked on the sculptures, respectively, the fee was considerable. Pedestals were often decorated with poetry dedicated to the champion.
As you can see, the winners of the Games in Ancient Greece were universally respected. But in 394, the Olympic Games were banned by the Roman emperor Theodosius I, who called them "a relic of paganism." The break lasted over 1500 years.
Only in 1896, at the initiative of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the first Olympic Games of our time took place in Athens. Professionals were forbidden to compete at them, therefore, the winners of the first Olympiads could not count on substantial material reward.
In this regard, we can recall an interesting incident that happened in 1912 at the Games in Stockholm. The winner in the track and field pentathlon and decathlon was the American Indian Jim Thorpe. Shortly after the Olympics, one of the meticulous journalists found a newspaper article that Thorpe had played for a semi-professional baseball team a few years before the Games, and received little money.
The Olympic Committee reacted immediately, Thorpe was stripped of his title and was forced to return his awards. The athlete was rehabilitated only in 1983, however, the athlete himself died 30 years before this event.
Great honors have always been given to the winners of Olympic competitions. Even at the Games in Ancient Greece, athletes' victories were accompanied by an honorary ritual. Centuries have made amendments to this ritual, but the meaning remained the same: to pay tribute to the inexhaustible physical and spiritual capabilities of man.
The winner was awarded a wreath of olive and palm branches, which were cut by children with a golden knife from an old sacred tree. In honor of the winner, a statue was erected at Olympia, which was an honor not only for the champion himself, but also for the city or tribe that he represented.
The return of the winners to their homeland looked like a solemn holiday. Often, special passages were cut for them in the city wall. Laudatory odes and songs were composed in their honor, they were given the best places at the festivities.
The Olympic Charter precisely defined the awards for the winners of the Modern Games. Medals and diplomas are awarded to athletes who took the first three places in individual and team competitions, and those who took 4-8 places - with diplomas.
It has been established that an Olympic medal must be at least sixty in diameter and at least three millimeters thick. A gold medal is awarded for the 1st place. It is made of silver and covered with six grams of gold. A silver medal is awarded for the 2nd place, and a bronze medal for the 3rd place. If two or more athletes share prizes, then they all receive medals and diplomas corresponding to the highest place. In team competitions, medals and diplomas are awarded to all team members.
Journalists and statisticians, when determining the results of the Games in team competitions, evaluate the medals received by the team as one award, although all its participants received medals.
The ceremony of awarding the champion and prize-winners of the Games is especially colorful. When the winners of the competitions at the solemn signal rise to the podium, the attention of all those present is riveted to them.
The awards are presented by the President of the International Olympic Committee or one of its members. The flags of the countries that delegated the champion and prize-winners to the Games are hoisted on the central masts. During this ceremony, the national anthem of the champion's homeland is played.
Unfortunately, some of the leaders of the international Olympic movement can hear voices: they say, the ceremony of raising flags and singing hymns should be canceled. And the more significant the successes of the athletes of the socialist and developing countries, the more insistent the demands of some representatives of the capitalist countries to cancel the traditional ceremony. A worthy rebuff to these attempts was given at the X Olympic Congress. The statement of the NOC of the USSR says: “We regard the noble traditions of awarding the winners of the Olympic Games not just as a formal designation of an athlete's belonging to a particular country, but as a symbol embodying the equality of nations, their mutual respect and friendship. Cancellation of such a ceremony does not correspond to patriotic feelings, diminishes the role of national Olympic organizations. "
The point of view of the Soviet delegation was supported by the overwhelming majority of the participants in the congress.
In addition to award medals, commemorative medals are instituted at the Olympic Games. They, as well as diplomas, are awarded to all participants of the Games and officials who are part of the Olympic teams of countries. All referees and their assistants from the panel of judges of the Games are also awarded.
There are no awards other than medals and diplomas at the Olympic Games. If an athlete awarded a medal is disqualified, it must be returned.
Of course, athletes who have repeatedly won Olympic awards are especially honored. Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina is the owner of 18 Olympic awards - 9 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze. Boris Shakhlin has 13 awards, including 7 gold. The Japanese gymnast Sawao Kato has 12 awards (8 gold). The legendary Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi has won 9 gold and 3 silver medals. American swimmer Mark Spitz has 9 gold and 1 silver and 1 bronze medals. At the Games in Seoul, a swimmer from the GDR Christina Otto won 6 gold medals.
At the Winter Olympics, the largest number of awards went to the Swedish skier Sixten Ernberg and the Soviet skier Raisa Smetanina - they each have 9 medals. Galina Kulakova has one less award. But the owner of the largest number of gold medals is the Soviet athlete Lidia Skoblikova, who won 6 top awards. The magnificent hockey goalkeeper Vladislav Tretyak is the owner of 3 gold and silver medals.
The athletes who took the first three places are awarded Olympic medals. Medal size: diameter at least 60 and thickness at least 3 millimeters. The medal depicts the emblem of the sport in which it was won. A gold medal is awarded for the first place. It is made of silver and covered with a layer of pure gold. A silver medal is awarded for the second place and a bronze medal for the third.
Athletes who take the first six places will be awarded with diplomas. If two or more participants share a prize, then they all receive awards (medals or diplomas) corresponding to the highest place.
In team competitions, all participants in the prize-winning teams receive personal medals and diplomas.
The XXII Winter Olympic Games in Sochi were very successful for Russian athletes. Our team has won the most gold and silver medals, as well as the total number of awards. All sets of medals for the 2014 Winter Olympics were made by one of the leaders of the Russian jewelry market.
What metal are Olympic medals made of?
It would seem that the answer to this question is obvious: gold from gold, silver from silver, and bronze, respectively, from bronze. However, this is not quite true. Despite the fact that the size and weight of medals at different Olympiads is different, their composition is enshrined in the rules of the International Olympic Committee.
Let's start with the bronze medals. There are no tricks here. Bronze medals consist precisely of bronze, which in its composition is usually an alloy of copper and tin. Olympic bronze medals are composed of 97% copper, 2.5% zinc and 0.5% tin. Based on the cost of the components, an Olympic bronze medal costs only $ 5-10, depending on the size.
Silver Olympic medals must be made of at least 925 sterling silver (sterling silver). It contains 92.5% pure silver, about 7.5% copper and a small amount of other elements. Silver fineness can be higher. The cost of such a medal is from $ 200 to $ 500.
What is the composition of the Olympic gold medal?
The Olympic gold medal is also made, oddly enough, from 925 sterling silver or higher. In fact, these are the same silver medals. The only difference is that 6 grams of pure gold is applied on top of them. The cost of the gold medal is about $ 800.
Games in St. Louis in 1904 year became significant in many ways - for the first time, three prize-winners were awarded gold, silver and bronze medals. At the same time, gold medals were first made from pure gold. The medals of the winners were made entirely of gold only before the Olympic Games in Stockholm in 1912 year, and then began only to be covered with six grams of gold.
Why exactly "gold, silver and bronze"?
Probably, when deciding on the awarding of gold, silver and bronze medals, the founders of the International Olympic Committee at the end of the 19th century were guided by the following considerations:
- the real cost of metals and their suitability for the manufacture of medals. The value of gold, silver and bronze illustrates the distribution of places in the competition perfectly. The concept of "gold" is unambiguously perceived as "first place".
- mythical background. In their history, the ancient Greeks themselves distinguished several periods (ages of mankind). In his didactic poem Works and Days, written around 700 BC, the Greek poet Hesiod identifies five periods. The golden period refers to the time when people lived among the gods in peace and harmony. Silver is characterized by godlessness and human weakness. The Bronze Age marks a time of war and violence. After these periods comes the heroic era (the time when the heroes of the Trojan War lived) and then the Iron Age (new time)
- the arrangement of metals in the periodic table of elements (periodic table). Copper, silver and gold are located one below the other
Why did the Olympic gold medal cease to be made of pure gold?
The refusal to manufacture medals from pure gold, most likely, occurred for economic reasons. The host country of the Olympics bears almost all the costs of organizing the Games and receiving participants.
The number of kits played was constantly increasing, and the number of team sports was also growing. At the same time, the prestige of the Olympics increased, and in fact, Olympic gold medals began to be valued much more expensive than the cost of the metal included in them.
There are requirements for Olympic medals not only in terms of the composition of the metal
Of the other rules established by the International Olympic Committee in respect of medals, the following can be noted:
- the diameter of the medals must be at least 60 mm
- thickness not less than 3 mm
- each medal must have a chain or ribbon attachment
- each medal must indicate the sport in which it is played.
The medals are designed by the host country of the Olympic Games, but the IOC always has the final say.
And what were the Olympic champions of the first Games awarded with?
At the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece, which dates back to 776 BC, the winner received no awards other than a wreath of olive branches. The wreath was awarded on the day of the end of the Games in the temple of Zeus. On this occasion, the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes in his play "Plutos" in 408 BC. pokes fun at Zeus, claiming that he is clearly poor. Otherwise, he would have given the Olympic winners not a wreath of branches, but gold.
The Olympic Games were canceled by the Roman emperor Theodosius I (or his son) around 400 AD. The first modern games were held in 1896 in Athens. On them, the winners were awarded silver medals and palm branches, the second place was given a bronze medal, and the third place was not awarded in any way. At the next Games in Paris in 1900, the winners were awarded valuable paintings and other works of art. Subsequently, the Olympic Committee separately issued a standard set of medals for participants in the first two Olympic Games.
At the Games of 1896, the winner received a silver medal, the second prize-winner - a bronze one. And that's it! At the 1900 Olympics, no medals were awarded at all. And only then, finally, a medal of the highest dignity appeared.
In individual competitions, the first prize consists of a gold medal and a diploma, the second prize consists of a silver medal and a diploma, and the third prize consists of a bronze medal and a diploma. The medals must indicate the type of sport and the type of competition for which they are awarded. The medals must be at least 60mm in diameter and 3mm thick. Medals for the first and second places must be silver, not less than 925 - 1000 standard, and the medal for the first place must be gilded (at least 6 grams of pure gold). Therefore, it is called gold.
In team sports and in team competitions in other sports, each member of the winning team and prize-winning teams who participated in at least one match or competition during the Olympic Games are entitled to a medal and a diploma, respectively. The rest of the members of these teams are only eligible for a diploma.
Athletes who take places from fourth to eighth in individual and team competitions receive IOC diplomas.
Medals and diplomas awarded on the occasion of the Olympic Winter Games must be different from those used at the Olympic Games.
Commemorative diplomas, as well as commemorative medals are awarded to all participants of the Games and team officials.
If an Olympic athlete is disqualified, his medal (s) and diploma (s) must be returned to the IOC.
Recently, the winners and prize-winners of Olympic competitions, in addition to medals, began to be awarded with badges, respectively - gold, silver, bronze. For special services to the Olympic Movement, the IOC awards a sportsman or athlete with the Olympic Order. This is a particularly high and valuable award.
There are many citizens of our country among those awarded the Olympic Order. Awarded with the Highest Olympic Gold Order: in 1992. the first President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin, in 1998. mayor of Moscow Yu.M. Luzhkov, in 2001. Russian President V.V. Putin. Outstanding athletes, coaches, sports leaders, specialists, statesmen were awarded the Silver Order.
Over the entire period of existence of the USSR Olympic Committee, 20 people have been awarded the IOC Olympic Orders. 1992-2001. 37 people were awarded, which speaks of the increased authority of the Russian Olympic Committee in the international sports movement, recognition of the merits of the Russian Federation by the IOC.
4.8. Olympic anthem
The Olympic anthem is the one approved by the International Olympic Committee at the 55th session of 1958 in Tokyo, the scores of which are kept at the IOC headquarters.
All rights to the Olympic symbol, flag, motto and anthem are reserved exclusively by the International Olympic Committee.
5. Olympism, the Olympic movement, the Olympic Games. Olympiad.
Olympism, the Olympic Movement and the Olympic Games are the most important social phenomena in international life.
The concept of modern Olympism belongs to Pierre de Coubertin.
Olympism is a philosophy of life that uplifts and unifies the dignity of body, will and mind into a balanced whole. Olympism, combining sport with culture and education, strives to create a lifestyle based on the joy of effort, on the educational value of good example and on respect for universal basic ethical principles.
The goal of Olympism is the ubiquitous development of sport at the service of harmonious development in order to contribute to the creation of a peaceful society that cares about the preservation of human dignity.
Olympic movement, led by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has its origins in modern Olympism.
Under the supreme authority of the IOC, the Olympic Movement brings together organizations, athletes and others who agree to be governed by the Olympic Charter. The criterion for belonging to the Olympic movement is recognition by the International Olympic Committee.
The goal of the Olympic movement- to contribute to building a better world by educating young people through sports without any discrimination and in the spirit of observing the principles of Olympism, which includes mutual understanding, friendship, an atmosphere of solidarity and fair play.
The activities of the Olympic Movement are permanent and universal. Its pinnacle is the unification of the world's athletes at a grand sports event - the Olympic Games.
The organizational basis of the Olympic movement, in addition to the IOC, is made up of national Olympic committees, international and national sports federations, which are included in the program of the Olympic Games. Of course, other international sports organizations that share its goals and objectives may participate in the Olympic Movement.
The Olympic movement is not something frozen, it is developing, enriching itself with new ideas, its ties with state structures and various public associations are being strengthened.
Olympic Games are competitions between athletes in individual or team events, not between countries. This is a great celebration of the world's youth. The Games bring together the strongest athletes from all countries in fair and equitable competitions. They realize the goals of Olympism and the Olympic movement.
The Olympic Games consist of the Games of the Olympics and the Winter Olympics, each of which is held every four years.
The Olympic Games reflect the level of modern life like in a mirror. They attract the close attention of millions of people on our planet, express the irresistible desire of mankind for peace and progress.
The Olympic Games are held in full compliance with the Olympic Charter and have important pedagogical and social functions. They are of great educational and educational value. The Olympic flame, the Olympic oath, the raising of national flags, the performance of national anthems in honor of the victory of athletes, the ceremony of awarding the winners - all this fosters noble patriotic feelings in people.
At the same time, modern Olympism, the Olympic movement and the Olympic Games, developing in conditions of great contradictions inherent in the modern world, represent a complex process. Various theories, views and concepts collide on the essence of Olympism, the Olympic movement, the Games, their present and future.
Olympiad.
The term "Olympiad" means a period of four consecutive years which begins with the Games of the Olympiad and ends with the opening of the Games of the next Olympiad. Moreover, in the modern history of sports, as well as in Ancient Greece, there is an account of the Olympics. The Summer Olympics take place in the first year of the Olympics.
If for some reason the Games of any Olympiad were not held, the Olympiad will end four years after the start of the previous Olympiad, and from that day a new Olympiad begins.
The counting of the Olympics has been consistently conducted since the first Olympic Games (Games of the Olympics) of our time, which were celebrated in Athens in 1896.