The Sydney Marathon has admitted an "unfortunate error" after its official finisher's medal was found to depict the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, instead of the Allianz Stadium in Sydney, a landmark that runners pass during the race. The revelation comes just a week before the marathon is scheduled to take place on 30 August.
In an Instagram post earlier this week, the official Sydney Marathon account unveiled the design of the participation medal, telling runners they would "find the story of the course in the details" of the design. The post described "a beautiful Sydney skyline" that "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 depicted around the edge of the medal is the Allianz Arena in Munich, a stadium that opened in 2005 and is home to the Bayern Munich football team, rather than the Allianz Stadium at Moore Park in Sydney, which the marathon route passes.
Organisers respond to the mistake
A TCS Sydney Marathon spokesperson acknowledged the error on Sunday, saying: "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 mistake was reported by the BBC and noted with amusement by several running blogs. The Allianz Arena itself responded in the comments of one post, saying: "Oh wow, we didn't have that on our bingo card!"
Medal design and artist involvement
The reverse of the medal features an indigo and gold design by First Nations artist Ambrose Killian, representing the 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, which contains the erroneous stadium depiction.
The Sydney Marathon is set to take place on 30 August. In 2025, about 35,000 marathoners from more than 120 countries participated in the event, which was its first year as a World Marathon major event.
Organisers look ahead to race day
Sydney Marathon organisers described the medal as "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. 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]."
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.
