The True Olympic Scandal

The "gold" medals awarded to the winners in the modern Olympic games are not gold – they are gold plated.

This is the true scandal of the games. It is a fraud more basic to the heart and integrity of the games than any sleazy bribe of a committee member for a vote in the city selection process.

This fraud began at the Antwerp Games of 1920.

The Olympic Charter states:¹

2.1 ... The first prize shall be a silver gilt medal and a diploma ...
2.2 ... The medals for first and second places shall be of silver ....

If the athletes are given a medal of gilt why are they promised a medal of gold?

In Sydney, Australia, there were commemorative Olympic gold medals available for sale to tourists. These were 24 carat gold. The medals that were awarded to the winning athletes were silver gilt.

Gold for the tourists, gold-plate for the athletes –
tte games are defiled by this priority.

Apologists for the IOC say that the honor lies in winning an event, not whether the medal be gold or gilt. They invariably add that athletes once competed for laurel wreaths and honor alone.

I agree that it is not necessary to give gold to grant glory.

The winner of the Master's golf tournament receives a green jacket, not a gold lame one. He is happy to earn it.
The America's Cup, the highest honor in sailing, is silver, not gold. Vast sums of gold have been spent in pursuit of this silver cup.
The highest military honor in ancient Rome was the Crown of Grass. This was braided in the field and awarded to a soldier who single-handedly saved a legion or an army. Few were awarded.
It was never my intention to provide a gold medal for the winner of the Loebner Prize Contest. A Bronze Medal, $100,000 and the honor of creating a program that could pass the Turing Test are honors enough. I was persuaded by another ² to give a gold medal.

The apologists additionally excuse the fraud on the grounds that the word "gold" just signifies the color of the medal. However, let one of them buy what is advertised as a "gold ring" and then discover that it is gold-plated. I do not think he or she would be satisfied with the argument: "Well, it’s gold colored."

There are words in the English language that honestly convey the facts.

"Silver gilt" is what the Charter uses, and "silver gilt" best serves journalistic excellence. However, for variety, one can write "gold-plated medals" or "gold-tone medals," or "gold colored medals," or "golden medals" Each of these terms truthfully describes the medal.

The new American gold colored dollar coin is referred to as a "golden" dollar – none dares call it "gold."

Instead of apologizing for the committee and excusing the fraud, we should ask "Why not award truly gold medals, if that is what is advertised?"

There is enough money in the Olympic enterprise to pay for solid gold medals. The cost would be less than 5 million dollars.³

This is minor compared to the total revenues of The International Olympics (about US$ 1 billion per year; just imagine – 1,000 million dollars) and the total cost of the Games.

1. http://www.olympic.org/ioc/e/facts/charter%5Fjuin%5F99/charter%5Fprotocol%5Fe.html Note: Do a find on the page for "gilt" using our browser's "find" command. Don't use the "search" box provided on the page, it will just return the above link.
2. Dr. Robert Epstein, at the Fourth Contest.
3. I was paid USD 6,000 for an 18 carat medal and was quoted USD 7,000 for 24 carat one. Fewer than 700 first place medals are awarded at the games.