(L-R) Michael Phelps, Brendan Hansen, Jason Lezak and Aaron Piersol of the United States hold up their gold medals from the Men's 4x100 Medley Relay - Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 17, 2008
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images
Question: What Are Olympic Gold Medals Made Of?
Answer: Olympic medals are designed by the Olympics committee in each host city, but the medals must meet some minimum requirements.
- they must be at least 60 mm in diameter and 3 mm thick
- gold and silver medals must be made of 92.5 percent silver
- the gold medal must be plated with at least six grams of gold
At 20 ounces, the gold and silver medals awarded in the 2002 games in Salt Lake City are the heaviest medals created to date. They are 85 mm in diameter and 10 mm thick.
