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While the top three athletes in any Olympic competition take home medals, those who finish in the top eight receive a prize more commonly associated with graduating school: a diploma. Organizers have awarded these diplomas since 1896, the year of the first modern Olympiad, though back then they were given only to the winner. The field was expanded to the top three in 1923, the top six in 1949, and the top eight in 1981.
Much like Olympic medals, the paper certificates are designed by the host country. Early diplomas were quite ornate; the ones awarded at the 1896 Athens Games depicted Greek mythological figures next to the Acropolis. Modern designs, however, are typically more minimalistic, largely featuring text on a white or off-white background.
Oops, incorrect!
It's a fibWhile France has hosted six Olympics, the U.S. holds the record with eight as of 2026: the Summer Olympics in St. Louis (1904), Los Angeles (1932 and 1984), and Atlanta (1996), and the Winter Games in Lake Placid (1932 and 1980), Olympic Valley (1960), and Salt Lake City (2002).
Each diploma includes details such as the athlete’s name, the event, and where they placed. The diplomas for the top three medalists have a gold, silver, or bronze background relative to their position. By comparison, diplomas given to athletes who finish fourth through eighth feature an uncolored background.
The diplomas are sometimes sent by mail, while others are presented to the athlete in ceremonies held by their own national organizing committees after the competition. Still, some Olympians are surprised to find out Olympic diplomas even exist.
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______ has won the most Winter Olympic medals of any country.
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Norway has won the most Winter Olympic medals of any country.
The Olympic marathon used to be roughly 1.2 miles shorter.
The length of a marathon at the first three modern Olympic Games was measured at around 25 miles, a distance inspired by the ancient Greek legend of Pheidippides, a heroic courier who ran 25 miles from Marathon to Athens to deliver news of a wartime victory.
But the length of the race was extended to 26.2 miles at the 1908 London Summer Games. That decision was made by the British Olympic Committee, who wanted the race to start at Windsor Castle and end right in front of the royal box at Olympic Stadium so the royal family could have the best view of the finish. The 26.2-mile distance was eventually standardized in 1921 for all future Olympic marathons.
Bennett Kleinman is a New York City-based staff writer for Inbox Studio, and previously contributed to television programs such as "Late Show With David Letterman" and "Impractical Jokers." Bennett is also a devoted New York Yankees and New Jersey Devils fan, and thinks plain seltzer is the best drink ever invented.
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