New Olympic medals revealed for 2026 Winter Games: 5 cool facts
Photo: Medals of the 2026 Games (olympics.com)
The Organizing Committee of the 2026 Winter Olympics and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have officially unveiled the medals that will be awarded to the winners of the Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, according to the official IOC website.
The presentation took place at the historic Palazzo Balbi in Venice. The awards transmit the main ideas of the Games: minimalism, sustainability, and the power of unity.
Here are five key facts about the 2026 Olympic medals.
Minimalism and Italian modernism
The medals visually match the aesthetic of the Games: clean shapes, restrained style, and modernity.
The creative concept was developed by a team led by Raffaella Panié, who is responsible for the overall visual style of the competition. Their goal was to return to the essence: simplicity, harmony, and inner depth.
The design is inspired by the avant-garde Italian school, featuring functionality, symbolism, respect for space, and form.
Two halves of one whole
A unique feature of the medals is their "splitting": each award appears to consist of two parts, with different textures that combine into a single whole.
This symbolizes the two host cities, Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. It also alludes to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which share a common vision.
In addition, it is a profound metaphor of unity: between athlete and coach, individual and team, personal achievement and collective effort. This concept will be a core theme of the 2026 Games.
Sustainability at every step
The medals are manufactured by the Italian State Mint and Polygraphic Institute in Rome.
For the first time in Games history, the awards are being cast in induction furnaces powered exclusively by renewable energy sources. All coatings and materials are environmentally friendly and recyclable.
This approach reflects the organizers' priorities: responsible production, care for nature, and preservation of the Alpine environment.
What are the medals?
In total, 1,146 athletes will receive awards. 735 will be handed out at the Olympic Games and 411 at the Paralympics.
The technical specifications of the medals are as follows:
- Diameter is 80 mm
- Thickness is 10 mm
- Gold medal: 506 g (silver of 999 fineness + 6 g of 999.9 gold)
- Silver medal: 500 g of 999 silver
- Bronze medal: 420 g of copper alloy
Award of the 2026 Winter Olympics (photo: olympics.com)
Third Winter Games in Italy's history
Italy already has experience hosting the Winter Olympics.
The first were held in 1956 (Cortina d'Ampezzo). The second time was in 2006 (Turin). The 2026 Games will unite Milan's urban energy with the beauty of Cortina's mountain slopes.
The competitions will take place from February 6 to 22, 2026, and the Paralympics will be from March 6 to 15.
We previously reported that NHL players will participate in the Olympics for the first time in 12 years.
