The Winter Olympics are here. This year’s Games will take place in Milan and Cortina, Italy, highlighting the biggest winter sports and athletes from all across the world.
The goal for every athlete traveling to Italy in February is to take home one of the iconic Olympic medals, whether that’s a gold, silver or bronze. Every Summer and Winter Olympic Games designs a special edition of the medals, so it’s always exciting to see how the product turns out.
This year’s Olympic medals are unique in many ways. Here’s a breakdown of the design Milan-Cortina went with for this year’s Games.
What do the 2026 Winter Olympic medals look like?
The gold, silver and bronze medals all have similar designs on them this year. The standout piece from the medals is the two different surfaces shown in halves on both sides of the medals. The Olympics described this half feature as a way to “[celebrate] the power of differences—two unique halves coming together to create a bold, unified statement.”
The top half has a granular texture, while the bottom half is a more mirrored surface. On the front of the medal, the five Olympic rings are shown in the middle, with the half splitting it between. On the back, the event for which the medal is being given out for is etched on the bottom, while the Milan-Cortina logo is shown on the top.
The Olympics partnered with Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato to create the medals.
What do the 2026 Winter Paralympic medals look like?
The Paralympic medals mirror the Winter Olympic medals, but include some accessability friendly features. For one, the side of all the medals include a tally mark for which place the athlete finished.
The Paralympic medals also include braille on the back side to read what sport the athlete received the medal in.
More on Sports Illustrated
- Everything We Know About a Potential Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade
- Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame Snub Is a Wake-Up Call for His North Carolina Tenure
- Patrick Reed Announces Stunning Return to PGA Tour
- Why No. 3 Michigan Hoops Losing Its Dominant Early Form Isn’t a Reason to Panic
- Xander Schauffele Is Ready for a Fresh Start at Torrey Pines
This article was originally published on www.si.com as What Do the 2026 Winter Olympic Medals Look Like?.
