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2026 Winter Olympic Medal Design Symbolizes Unity
The medals feature a split-texture design highlighting the fact that the 2026 Olympics are taking place in two different cities.
The 2026 Winter Olympic medals represent the union of a player and their team, and the two cities—Milano, Italy, and Cortina, Italy—where the games will take place. The opening ceremony for the XXV Winter Olympic Games is scheduled for Friday. (Image credit: Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026)
Venice—The opening ceremony for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games is scheduled for Friday, with this year’s medals reflective of the Games’ unique logistics.
It is the first time the Games will be split between two host cities—Milano, Italy, and Cortina, Italy—a fact that inspired the vision of the Games’ design team, led by Milano Cortina 2026’s Brand, Identity, and Look of the Games Director Raffaella Paniè.
The gold, silver, and bronze medals feature two halves, each finished with different textures meant to symbolize the union of the two cities.
SEE: The Medals for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Winter Games
It is the first time the Games will be split between two host cities—Milano, Italy, and Cortina, Italy—a fact that inspired the vision of the Games’ design team, led by Milano Cortina 2026’s Brand, Identity, and Look of the Games Director Raffaella Paniè.
The gold, silver, and bronze medals feature two halves, each finished with different textures meant to symbolize the union of the two cities.
SEE: The Medals for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Winter Games
The reverse of the Olympic medals is seen on the bronze medal (right). (Image credit: Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026)
The medals read “XXV Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.” (Image credit: Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026)
The medal boxes were created by Versalis, a subsidiary of Eni. (Image credit: Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026)
It also is a metaphor for a player and their team coming together, putting emotion and teamwork at the core of the design, said the designers.
The design also appears on the Paralympic Games medals.
The medal design centers on the athlete and Para athlete, reflecting the culmination of their journey and all who supported them along the way.
These medals are coherent with the concept of “Italian Spirit,” designers said.
They are vibrant, dynamic, and contemporary, and inspired by Italian avant-garde, embodying “the determination and passion of the world’s greatest athletes and Para athletes, but also the Olympic and Paralympic spirits,” said Paniè.
“We conceived a medal that represents purity and a return to essence. With our medals, we celebrate the strength found in difference: two unique halves that join through the Olympic and Paralympic symbols to deliver a bold and unified message.”
Paniè added, “This concept is also reflected in the surfaces of the medals, where two textures meet and begin a story written not only by the athletes and Para athletes, but also those who supported them: coaches, teammates, family members, and fans.”
Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (IPZS), the Italian state printer and mint, crafted the medals for the 2026 Olympics and Paralympics.
IPZS produced the medals with an eco-friendly, non-toxic, recyclable protective finish, organizers said.
The medals bring together elegance, visual impact, and sustainability, as the energy used by IPZS comes entirely from renewable sources.
“The medals of Milano Cortina 2026 are much more than mere awards: they are the heartbeat of Italy, the essence of a design that moves, the reflection of a dream taking shape. They encapsulate the identity of a country—its creativity, its passion for sports and beauty,” said Giovanni Malagò, president of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation.
“Each medal, whether Olympic or Paralympic, is a story etched into metal: it speaks to effort, determination, sacrifice, and the hopes of those who have lived to reach the podium.”
Medals will be awarded in 195 events.
A total of 1,146 gold, silver, and bronze medals will be presented in both the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
The boxes and trays for the medals will be created by Versalis, a subsidiary of Italian energy company Eni. It is an official supporter of the Games, who is also involved in the creation of the Olympic and Paralympic torches.
While this is the first time the Olympic Games will be split between two host cities, it isn’t the first time the games have taken place in Italy.
Four years before the Summer Olympics were held in Rome in 1960, Italy made its debut as a host for the Games with Cortina hosting the 1956 Winter Olympics, according to the Olympics website.
The 2026 Games mark a return to the city after 70 years.
The Winter Olympics were also held more recently in Turin, Italy, in 2006.
“A new and significant step forward toward what I do not hesitate to call one of the most important events in the sporting history of our country. Medals have always been synonymous with the Olympics and tangibly represent the value of a truly unique competition,” said Attilio Fontana, President of the Lombardy regional government.
“Just like the Olympic torches, the medals are a perfect synthesis of design and tradition—two cornerstones of the Italian way of thinking. Out of superstition, I won’t say more, but it’s clear that the hope is to see them being worn by the athletes around their necks, dressed in the Italian uniform.”
The full schedule for the 2026 Olympics can be viewed on the NBC website, while the schedule for the Paralympic Games is available here.
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