The Olympic medal is an award of the highest dignity, every athlete dreams of it. However, ordinary people are most interested in the question of how much gold is in the Olympic gold medal and what it generally consists of. Let's try to figure out how the size, composition and design of the awards changed from year to year, from the Olympics to the Olympics.
Historical excursion
To begin with, it is worth noting that the Olympic medal should not be evaluated primarily on its material content. Nevertheless, this award carries a more humane and large-scale meaning and is perceived as an alloy of nobility, courage, fortitude and will. All these qualities make a person an Athlete. And a medal is just a way of encouraging his achievements. Initially, it was established that each city hosting the Olympics will be engaged in the development and manufacture of awards. At the same time, the Olympic Committee makes a number of its requirements:
- Medals must have a diameter of at least 60 mm and a width of at least 3 mm.
- Gold and silver awards should be made of an alloy of metals, while it should be 92.5% silver.
- Gold awards must be gold plated, with no less than 6 grams of gold.
Thus, it becomes clear how much gold in the Olympic gold medal is only 6 grams, while everything else is silver.
What was - what became
The first Olympic Games were held back in 776 BC. Athletic competitions were held in honor of the hero of myths Hercules, while for his victories in the struggle and pankration (hand-to-hand combat) he did not receive awards. The tradition of presenting medals appeared already in modern times, when the First Olympic Congress adopted a decision in 1894. All requirements, rules, and award principles were clearly spelled out in the Olympic Charter. So, the first and second prize-winners received awards from silver of the 925th test, the third prize-winner received bronze, and the winner received a medal that was plated with gold. Already then the parameters were roughly determined: the weight and composition of the awards, and the question of how much gold was in the Olympic gold medal was also resolved.
How rewards have changed
The first modern Games were held in 1896 in Athens. Then the winners received silver awards, and the second places were awarded with copper awards. In Greece, 43 sets of awards were played, while their design was developed by Jules Chaplin, and the weight of the Olympic medal was only 47 grams. The most unusual awards were presented at the next Olympics, in 1900, which took place in Paris. For the first time in Olympic history, designer Frederick Vernon proposed rectangular medals, on one side of which the goddess of victory Nick was depicted, and on the other, an athlete. It was with these Games that the tradition of presenting gold, silver and bronze awards began.
The weight of the Olympic medal was constantly changing: for example, at the Games in 1904 and 1908, it was the smallest and amounted to only 21 grams. For comparison: medals at the winter competitions in Vancouver weighed 576 grams, and in Sochi - 585 grams, which is considered the absolute record for the Games.
Innovations and Ideas
Of course, for the entire time of the Olympic movement, there were some various nuances and incidents. For example, for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the organizers decided to make medals from recycled materials. This was done in order to improve the environmental situation on Earth, and therefore the Olympic medals were created from waste electrical boards. And this allowed Canada to significantly save on the Games. It is noteworthy that each award had its own engraving, that is, no athlete repeated medals.
What about the composition?
The composition of the Olympic medal also changed. So, the smallest in weight and the most golden in composition was the award at the London Olympics in 1908. At the Albertville Games in 1992, the awards were made of handmade glass, and gold was used as the frame. And two years later, when the Games were held in Lillehammer, Norway, the awards were created entirely from granite, which was caused by the desire of designers to emphasize the Norwegians' love for nature.
Creation Features
Besides the question of how much gold in the Olympic gold medal, many ask about how they are created and affirmed. So, the Adamas jewelry factory was engaged in creating awards for the Games in Sochi, and for the first time in the history of the Olympic movement, a private organization was engaged in manufacturing. For example, for all the Games held in English cities, the state mint created medals.
The creation of medals for the Olympic Games is a labor-intensive process in which responsibility and clarity of compliance with each stage play a large role. Many were interested in how much gold was in the Olympic medal in Sochi, since they were the most impressive in size here. So, in the gold award there were 565 grams of silver (960th test) and 6 grams of gold (999th test). These indicators comply with the minimum requirements established by the IOC. Silver and bronze 100% consisted of those materials that should have been in their composition, namely: 525 grams of silver and 460 grams of bronze. Thus, the symbolism of the medals is that the most difficult and expensive is the gold award, which is more difficult for the athlete. In total, about three kilograms of gold, two tons of silver and 700 kilograms of bronze were spent on the production of awards for the Games in Sochi.
How much is?
Of course, the creation of Olympic awards for the state is a pretty big investment. Therefore, many are interested in how much the Olympic medal costs. This can be understood if you evaluate how much certain states are willing to pay their athletes for the awards received. Consider the indicators based on the Sochi Winter Olympics. Most of the money for the gold medal were ready to offer Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Latvia - respectively $ 510000, $ 250,000, $ 193,000. In Russia, premiums amounted to $ 115600. Thus, Olympic medals are valuable in themselves as a sporting achievement, but in addition to them, you can get some pretty good bonuses, which means athletes have something to strive for.
Olympic records
As in any sporting event, not only athletes, but also organizers set records during the Olympics. For example, the smallest and purest in terms of composition were the awards given in London in 1908. Pure gold was used to make them, and this was the only time in the history of the Olympic Games. It is enough to look at them to understand how much the Olympic medal of that time weighs. New records were set in Vancouver: medals weighing 576 grams were minted for these competitions. The largest diameter was at the medals in Olympic Turin: the awards were like CDs, had an unusual cut for the tape and looked pretty impressive, weighing 469 grams. The only deviation from the round shape was the rectangle awards, which were awarded in Paris in 1900. Thus, every sporting event, especially the Olympics, is a long-awaited event when it is possible to appreciate both the condition and capabilities of athletes, as well as the skill and organizational skills of countries that host these important competitions for the whole world.