That ’s the silver laurel wreath awarded to winners of the 1896 Athens games . First - shoes athletes also received an olive branch and a diploma . Those who came in secondly got a sheepskin as well , along with a copper medal and a outgrowth of Stan Laurel .
The rearward side of the 1896 medal featured the Acropolis .
At the Paris 1900 games , the front of the ribbon portrayed a winged goddess holding a laurel offset .
On the back stood a winning athlete , with the ever - democratic Stan Laurel offshoot restrain high .
In 1908 , the London medals display two women crown the head of a triumphant athlete with more laurel wreath branches .
The frequenter saint of England appear on the paired side of the 1908 honor . According to caption , St. George slew a dragon in ordering to carry through a princess .
The laurel wreath of the 1912 Stockholm game had the same paradigm on the front as the London ones had , but on the flip side a harbinger announced the opening of the Olympics . Beside him was a statue of Ling – the man who founded the Swedish gymnasium organisation .
The 1924 Paris summer games showcased medals that encompass the idea of adept sportsmanship , with one rival helping his challenger to stand .
On the opposite side was a harp , signify the cultural look of the biz , and an raiment of sport equipment spring an arch .
In Amsterdam in 1928 , the ribbon show Nike , the traditional goddess of triumph . Most subsequent Olympian organizers simulate the front of their decoration on this design , using the backs to convey their city ’s spirit and flair .
The other side of the Amsterdam discs describe an Olympian genius being expect on the shoulders of adoring fans .
In the 1960 summer games hosted by Rome , the decoration still showed Nike , the goddess of triumph , surrounded by a circlet of laurel wreath leaves . The flip side was consistent with the back of the medal present in Amsterdam .
The Munich summer game in 1972 featured medallion with Castor and Pollux on the reverse . The sons of Zeus and Leda were meant to incarnate friendship and competition .
The sparse design on the back of the 1976 Montreal Olympic medals portray a stylized crownwork of bay wreath .
Winning athlete at the 1980 Moscow summer games received medals stamp with a burning fire ascend from the Olympian bowl on the back side .
At the 1988 Seoul secret plan , the reverse of the medallion present a soaring dove holding a laurel wreath branch in its beak .
Barcelona ’s 1992 saucer were color with the emblem of those games – an abstract human figure seemingly leaping over the rings .
In 1996 , the Atlanta Olympics celebrated the centennial of the games with a stylized olive branch on the reverse .
For the 2000 Sydney summer game , the turnaround of the medals render the city ’s famous opera house star sign in the background , with the foreground arrest the Olympic torch and rings .
In 2004 , Athens get out with custom for the first time since 1928 , creating a new mental image for the front of the medals . This design will be used going onward , symbolizing how Greeks forged the games in ancient times and revived them in 1896 .
