Milan is often known for its fashion — but there’s one coveted accessory in particular that will be up for grabs this February: the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic medal.
This year’s medal was unveiled in July 2025 by Olympic organizers, and soon a total of 1,146 of them will go out to Olympic and Paralympic bronze, silver and gold winners of the Winter Olympics events.
Olympic medals have become a staple of the Games since they were first officially used at the 1904 St. Louis Olympics. They represent the highest levels of athletic achievement. The responsibility of the design for each Olympic medal falls on the host city’s organizers, and each medal has a distinct look unique to that year’s Games.
Here’s everything to know about the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics medals:
What inspired Milan Cortina’s Olympic medal design?
The 2026 Olympic medal is split in two halves on inclines, one with a granular texture and the other a mirrored surface.
The medals feature the Olympic or Paralympic logo on one side, with the Games’ logos on the other with specific events engraved depending on the sport.
Creators say the design represents the “union of two parts in constant motion” and is a nod to the dual city hosts Milan and Cortina. The 2026 Games mark the first to be hosted by two cities.
Raffella Paniè, who serves as director of identity and look of the Games, described one half of the medal as a tribute to the athlete, and the other as a nod to “all the teamwork that brought them” to the Games.
Courtesy of Olympics
Courtesy of Olympics 2026 Olympic medals.
What are the Olympic medals made of?
Contrary to popular belief, Olympic gold medals only contain a small amount of solid gold. According to International Olympic Committee regulations, gold medals must be made out of at least 92.5% silver and plated with 6 grams of gold.
This year’s gold medal is made of 500 grams of 999 silver plated by 6 grams of 999.9 gold.
Silver medals have a pure composition, with this year’s being made of 500 grams of pure 999 silver. This year’s bronze medal is made of 420 grams of copper.
In recent years, host cities have gotten creative with their medals, with each medal earned at the 2024 Paris Summer Games containing a small piece of the Eiffel Tower, and this year’s medals being the first to be made out of recycled materials.
How much is an Olympic medal worth?
This year’s Olympic medals have yet to be evaluated for worth, but Oxford Economics published their evaluation of the Paris Olympic medals in 2024. Their findings valued the gold medal at $1,027 USD, silver at $535 and bronze at $4.60.
That number is likely to be higher from this year on, too, with Oxford Economics predicting the Los Angeles 2028 gold medal at $1,136 and the 2032 Brisbane Games gold at $1,612.
Who produced the Olympic medals this year?
Olympic organizers partnered with IPZS, the Italian State Mint and Polygraphic Institute, which produces coins, passports and postage stamps for Italy. The institute was founded in 1928 and is based in Rome. It was announced in 2025 that IPZS would produce the Olympic and Paralympic medals.
IPZS produced the Olympic medals using recycled metal recovered from its own production waste. They were cast in induction furnaces powered entirely by renewable energy, with eco-friendly packaging made with FSC-certified materials and minimal use of plastics.
“The medals we have created to celebrate the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games represent the mastery and excellence of Italian design. Each one is a unique piece, the result of craftsmanship and innovation,” said Paolo Perrone, President of the Italian State Mint and Polygraphic Institute.
Matteo Taglienti, the program manager for IPZS, described the process as starting with a metal casting which is then personalized with polishing and frosting details, making each medal slightly unique. “Each medal is a handcrafted project, apart from the others,” Taglienti said.
How many Olympic and Paralympic medals were made for the Milan Cortina Olympics?
Medals will be awarded in 116 Olympic and 79 Paralympic events. The Olympic Winter Games will present 245 gold, 245 silver and 245 bronze medals, and the Paralympic Winter Games will award 137 gold, 137 silver and 137 bronze medals.
This brings the grand total to 1,146 medals, though organizers typically make more medals than necessary to account for ties, damaged medals and other unforeseen circumstances.
How much do the Olympic medals weigh?
The Olympic medals for Milan Cortina come in at 80mm wide and 10mm thick.
This year’s gold medal weighs 506 grams (500 grams of pure silver plated by 6 grams of gold.)
The silver medal weighs 500 grams, and the bronze weighs 420 grams — all about one pound or the weight of a can of soup.
What happened with the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics medals?
Some athletes from the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics were a bit disappointed with their medals when they started to fade just months after the Games. When athletes started posting their fading and tarnished medals on social media, the medal production company was quick to right its wrongs.
“The Monnaie de Paris has taken the issue of damaged medals very seriously since the first exchange requests in August, and has mobilized its internal teams,” the French mint said in a statement. “Since then, the company has modified and optimized its relative varnishing process. The Monnaie de Paris will replace all damaged medals at the athletes’ request during the first quarter of 2025.”
All tarnished medals were replaced, and Olympic organizers have already clarified there will be no such issues with Italy’s medals this year.
“I can assure you they won’t deteriorate,” Milan-Cortina organizing committee president Giovanni Malagò said. “They could even be recycled, although I hope nobody will do that.”
Several athletes have noticed the patina on their Paris 2024 Olympic medals has begun to fade.
