The official Sydney Marathon medal mistakenly depicts Munich's Allianz Arena. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
Organizers have admitted the error, calling it an "unfortunate mistake." On the "landmarks" side of the medal, instead of Sydney's Allianz Stadium, the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, is depicted.
Medal design and error
In a post on the official Sydney Marathon Instagram account earlier this week, runners were told they would "find the story of the course in the details" of the design. The post read: "A beautiful Sydney skyline brings the course to life, featuring the landmarks runners will experience along the way, starting with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and finishing at the world-famous Sydney Opera House."
However, one of the "landmarks" on the medal is the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, rather than Allianz Stadium in Sydney (which the marathon route passes).
Organizers' response
A TCS Sydney Marathon spokesperson said on Sunday: "A little too much international flavour has found its way onto the back of the finisher's medal, with an incorrect depiction of the stadium. We're not going to run from it, it was an unfortunate error, though it's certainly given everyone something to talk about this weekend, mostly in good humour."
The error was reported by the BBC and noted with amusement by several running blogs. The Munich stadium, which opened in 2005 and is home to the Bayern Munich football team, responded in the comments of one: "Oh wow, we didn't have that on our bingo card!"
Reverse of the medal
The reverse of the medal features an indigo and gold design by First Nations artist Ambrose Killian, representing kilometres of the course and the eight global major marathons. Killian told the BBC he was not involved in the other side of the design.
About the marathon
The marathon will take place on 30 August. In 2025, about 35,000 marathoners from more than 120 countries participated in the event – its first year as a World Marathon major event.
Sydney Marathon organisers said it was "a beautiful medal, and now a little more unique." The spokesperson added: "What it represents does not change. Behind every one of these medals is months of early mornings, long runs and quiet determination, and having it placed around your neck at the Sydney Opera House is a moment our participants will never forget."
Previous medal issues
This is not the first time official medals have run into problems. In 2012, some of the 23,000 runners in the Edinburgh marathon remarked on the rather phallic profile of their finisher's award. Earlier this year, the Winter Olympics were plagued by reports of cracking and snapping medals. And in Paris in 2024 the bronze medals were replaced after they quickly discoloured.