Aussie Medals

Fun Facts About Medals!

• At the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023, 4,002 medals and 6,670 place ribbons (4-8) were awarded.
  
  
• Although Team Australia’s medal tally is 63 medals, we physically brought home much more bling from Berlin! The medal count is based on the number of events in which we received a medal, so a team victory is counted as one medal. Let’s take basketball as an example. Our medal count for basketball is two bronze medals because we came third in two events – Traditional Male and Traditional Female. However, every one of our basketballers received a medal – that’s 20 shiny pieces of bling coming home to Australia!
  
  
• The counting of medals was popularised by the media and really gained momentum following the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has stated that the IOC does not have a particular view on any medal ranking system and that Olympic competition is between athletes and not between countries.
  
  
• This philosophy of unity is also the reason why national flags are not flown and national anthems are not sung at Special Olympics World Games. According to our Founding Principles, “Special Olympics transcends national origin.” This is also the guiding principle behind the 2023 World Games motto – #UnbeatableTogether
  
  
• Some people have questioned the unusual shape of the medals for the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023. “Why aren’t they round?”, they’ve asked. Well, there is a very considered reason. The shape represents a ‘flying block’ which forms the basis of the Games logo. According to World Games logo guidelines, “No other city in the world has experienced what Berlin has: its division and the construction of the Wall, later followed by the fall of the Wall and integration of East and West Berlin. Walls no longer represent barriers, but the tearing down of barriers which is what we hope these World Games will achieve for people with intellectual disability. Therefore, our medals are in the shape of a flying block.”