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An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal: gold, awarded to the winner; silver, awarded to the 1st runner-up; and bronze, awarded to the 2nd runner-up. The granting of awards is laid out in detail in the Olympic protocols. Medal designs have varied considerably since the first Olympic Games in 1896, particularly in size and weight. A standard obverse (front) design of the medals for the Summer Olympic Games began in 1928 and remained for many years, until its replacement at the 2004 Games as the result of controversy surrounding the use of the Roman Colosseum rather than a building representing the Games' Greek roots. The medals of the Winter Olympic Games never had a common design, but regularly feature snowflakes. In addition to generally supporting their Olympic athletes, some countries provide sums of money and gifts to medal winners, depending on the classes and number of medals won. ==Introduction and early history== The olive wreath was the prize for the winner at the Ancient Olympic Games. It was an olive branch, of the wild-olive tree that grew at Olympia,〔Theophrastus, ''Enquiry into Plants'', IV.13.2: 'the wild-olive () at Olympia, from which the wreaths for the games are made".〕 intertwined to form a circle or a horse-shoe. According to Pausanias it was introduced by Heracles as a prize for the winner of the running race to honour Zeus.〔Pausanias, Description of Greece, (5.7.7 )〕 When the modern Olympic Games began in 1896 medals started to be given to successful competitors. However, gold medals were not awarded at the inaugural Olympics in 1896 in Athens, Greece.〔(London 2012: Olympic medals timeline ), BBC News. Retrieved 27 July 2011.〕 The winners were instead given a silver medal and an olive branch, while runners-up received a laurel branch and a copper or bronze medal.〔''“After this followed the distribution of the second prizes. The King presented each winner with a bronze medal and a laurel branch.”'' (English version) But: ''“Darauf treten die zweiten Sieger einzeln heran und empfangen aus den Händen des Königs einen Lorbeerzweig und eine kupferne Medaille”'' (German version) ( Pierre de Coubertin and others, ''The Olympic Games In 1 8 9 6,'' ) Athens , London, Leipzig 1897, p.114 and p. 115. In: ''The Olympic Games B.C. 776. — A. D. 1896''. Part II〕 In 1900, most winners received cups or trophies instead of medals. The custom of the sequence of gold, silver, and bronze for the first three places dates from the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri in the United States. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has retroactively assigned gold, silver and bronze medals to the three best placed athletes in each event of the 1896 and 1900 Games.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 publisher = International Olympic Committee )〕 If there is a tie for any of the top three places all competitors are entitled to receive the appropriate medal according to IOC rules.〔(Report 268 ). International Olympic Committee. 31 January 2002. Retrieved 11 September 2011.〕 Medals are not the only awards given to competitors; every athlete placed first to eighth receives an Olympic diploma. Also, at the main host stadium, the names of all medal winners are written onto a wall.〔 Finally, as noted below, all athletes receive a participation medal and diploma. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Olympic medal」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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