The official Sydney Marathon participation medal, revealed this week, features a stadium in Munich, Germany, instead of a local Sydney landmark. Organisers have admitted the mistake, calling it an “unfortunate error”.
In an Instagram post unveiling the design, runners were told they would “find the story of the course in the details” of the medal. The post reads: “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.”
What went wrong
Among the landmarks depicted around the edge of the medal is the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, rather than Allianz Stadium in Sydney, which the marathon route passes. The Munich stadium, which opened in 2005 and is home to the Bayern Munich football team, responded to the error on social media: “Oh wow, we didn’t have that on our bingo card!”
A TCS Sydney Marathon spokesperson said: “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.”
Medal design and response
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.
The marathon takes 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”.
“What it represents does not change,” the spokesperson said. “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. We’re grateful to our participants and partners for taking it in such good humour, and our focus now is where it should be, on delivering a safe, spectacular and unforgettable weekend [event].”
Past medal problems
This is not the first time official medals have faced issues. 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.
