Are the olympic medals solid gold?

Olympic gold medals haven’t been made entirely of gold since the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. The host city’s organizing committee determines the medal design and the breakdown of materials.

Each gold medal must be at least 92.5% silver and can contain no less than 6 grams of gold. London chose copper to accompany the silver and gold. A 2012 Olympic gold medal is worth around $644 depending on the market.

2012 London Olympic gold medals weigh 14 ounces. This is about twice the weight of medals in the past 5 Olympics. They are also nearly 17 times heavier than the ones at the 1912 Olympics.

Michael Phelps just became the Most Decorated Olympian with a total of 22 medals. 18 of these are gold. He also became the “first man to win the same individual event” (200-meter individual medley) at three Olympics in a row.