How it all began...
The story behind the medals goes all the way back to the Ancient Olympics, when only the winner of an event would receive a crown of laurel leaves as his prize. Legend has it that the leaves were taken from a sacred grove, near the temple of Zeus, in Olympia.
At the first Olympics of the modern era, the Athens 1896 Games, winners were awarded a silver medal and a diploma in addition to the crown. The St. Louis 1904 Games were the first in which gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded to athletes in the top three positions.
The St. Louis 1904 Olympics also saw the medals being fitted with a colourful ribbon to be pinned on the athletes’ chests. It was only in the Rome 1960 Games that they were changed to be hung around the winners’ necks.
