Olympic medals have always displayed the Colosseum.
An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games .. Olympic Games. Olympic Games. medal. medal. There are three classes of medal  : gold , awarded to the winner ; silver , awarded to the 1st runner-up ; and bronze , awarded to the second runner-up .. medal. medal. gold. gold medal. silver. silver medal. bronze. bronze medal. The granting of awards is laid out in detail in the Olympic protocols .. Medal designs have varied considerably since the first Olympic Games in 1896 , particularly in size and weight .. 1896 Summer Olympics. Olympic Games. Olympic Games. A standard obverse -LRB- front -RRB- design of the medals for the Summer Olympic Games began in 1928 and remained for many years , until its replacement at the 2004 Games as the result of controversy surrounding the use of the Roman Colosseum rather than a building representing the Games ' Greek roots .. Olympic Games. Olympic Games. Summer Olympic Games. Summer Olympic Games. Roman. Rome. Colosseum. Colosseum. Greek. Greece. The medals of the Winter Olympic Games never had a common design , but regularly feature snowflakes .. Olympic Games. Olympic Games. Winter Olympic Games. Winter Olympic Games. In addition to generally supporting their Olympic athletes , some countries provide sums of money and gifts to medal winners , depending on the classes and number of medals won .. medal. medal