An Olympic diploma is a paper certificate awarded to the top eight finishers in competitions at the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...

. The practice of awarding diplomas has existed from the start of the modern Olympic Games in 1896, at first being awarded only to the winner of each event. The number of participants so awarded has increased over time, expanding to all three medallists from 1923, the top six finishers from 1949, and the current practice of eight from 1981. The diploma is inscribed and signed by

autopen An autopen (or signing machine) is a device used for the automatic signing of a signature. Prominent individuals may be asked to provide their signatures many times a day, such as celebrities receiving requests for autographs, or politicians sig ...

with the signatures of the president of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

and the head of the

organizing committee A union organizer (or union organiser in Commonwealth spelling) is a specific type of trade union member (often elected) or an appointed union official. A majority of unions appoint rather than elect their organizers. In some unions, the orga ...

for each Olympics. The design of the diploma, as with the design of the

Olympic medal An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal to be won: gold, silver, and bronze, awarded to first, second, and third place, respectively. The granting of awards is laid o ...

s, is a matter for the local organisers of each games, however the designs must be approved by the IOC. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' reported in 2014 that, even among athletes who should have received them, many were unaware of the diploma's existence. As is the case for

medals A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

, an athlete who receives a diploma and is subsequently sanctioned for violations of the IOC Code of Ethics, the

World Anti-Doping Code The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA; french: Agence mondiale antidopage, AMA) is a foundation initiated by the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against drugs in sports. The agency's key ...

, or other charters must return the diploma to the IOC.

Gallery

Notes

References

* * *

External links

Gallery of Olympic diplomas
{{Portal bar, Olympics Diploma Sports trophies and awards