Olympic Games During the first Olympic event in
1896, number one achievers or winners' medals were in fact made of
silver metal. The custom of
gold-silver-
bronze for the first three places dates from the
1904 games and has been copied for many other sporting events.
Minting the medals is the responsibility of the host city. From
1928 to
1968 the design was always the same: the obverse showed a generic design by
Florentine artist
Giuseppe Cassioli with text giving the host city; the reverse showed another generic design of an Olympic champion. From
1972–
2000, Cassioli's design (or a slight reworking) remained on the obverse with a custom design by the host city on the reverse. Noting that Cassioli's design showed a
Roman amphitheatre for what was originally a Greek games, a new obverse design was commissioned for the
Athens Games.
Winter Olympics medals have been of more varied design.
The Open Championship In
The Open Championship golf tournament, the Silver Medal is an award presented to the lowest scoring
amateur player at the tournament.
Rejection of silver medals In many sports with an elimination tournament, including those with a
third place playoff (such as Olympic ice hockey, Olympic soccer,
FIFA World Cup), silver is the only medal given to a team that loses its final game, whereas gold and bronze are earned by teams winning their final matches. Notable athletes such as
Jocelyne Larocque (2018 Olympics) removed their runners-up/silver medals right after receiving them; Larocque was later ordered by the
International Ice Hockey Federation official to put her silver medal back on. == Military and government ==