Sydney Marathon medal wrongly features Munich stadium<br>Skip to content
Home<br>News<br>US & Canada<br>UK<br>UK Politics<br>England<br>N. Ireland<br>N. Ireland Politics<br>Scotland<br>Scotland Politics<br>Wales<br>Wales Politics<br>Africa<br>Asia<br>China<br>India<br>Australia<br>Europe<br>Latin America<br>Middle East<br>In Pictures<br>BBC InDepth<br>BBC Verify<br>Sport<br>Business<br>World of Business<br>Technology of Business<br>NYSE Opening Bell<br>Technology<br>Watch Documentaries<br>Artificial Intelligence<br>Intelligence Revolution<br>AI v the Mind<br>Tech Now<br>Health<br>Watch Documentaries<br>Culture<br>Watch Documentaries<br>Film & TV<br>Music<br>Art & Design<br>Style<br>Books<br>Entertainment News<br>Arts<br>Watch Documentaries<br>Arts in Motion<br>Travel<br>Watch Documentaries<br>Destinations<br>Africa<br>Antarctica<br>Asia<br>Australia and Pacific<br>Caribbean & Bermuda<br>Central America<br>Europe<br>Middle East<br>North America<br>South America<br>World’s Table<br>Culture & Experiences<br>Adventures<br>The SpeciaList<br>Earth<br>Watch Documentaries<br>Science<br>Natural Wonders<br>Climate Solutions<br>Sustainable Business<br>Green Living<br>Audio<br>Podcast Categories<br>Radio<br>Audio FAQs<br>Video<br>Watch Documentaries<br>BBC Maestro<br>Discover the World<br>Live<br>Live News<br>Live Sport<br>Documentaries
Site search
Home
News
Sport
Business
Technology
Health
Culture
Arts
Travel
Earth
Audio
Video
Live
Documentaries
Weather<br>Newsletters<br>Watch Live
Sydney Marathon medal mistakenly depicts Munich stadium
1 day agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on Google
Harry SekulichSydney
Instagram: sydney_marathon
The medal design appears to show Munich's Allianz Arena on the bottom-right
One week out from the world-renowned Sydney Marathon, organisers face questions about whether designers etched the wrong city's stadium on the participation medal.
The medal appears to feature a stadium carved in the likeness of Allianz Arena in the German city of Munich, rather than Allianz Stadium in Sydney – which the 42.2km (26.2 mile) course runs past.
The BBC has reached out to Sydney Marathon for comment.
Some 40,000 runners will be taking part in the event on 30 August, after more than 120,000 ballot entries.
Speculation about a possible mix-up began after Sydney Marathon's official social media account unveiled its design for the 2026 medal, inviting users to "look closely and you'll find the story of the course in the details".
They continued: "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."
Getty Images
The Munich arena (bottom) appears to feature on the medal instead of the Sydney landmark
Munich's Allianz Arena is sculpted by thousands of diamond-shaped inflatable cushions, while Sydney's similarly-named Allianz Stadium has a flatter façade smoothed with long bronze fins.
The other face of the double-sided medal features a gold and indigo pattern designed by First Nations artist Ambrose Killian. Forty-two half-round markings lining the circular edge "represent each kilometre of the course", organisers explained.
Killian told the BBC he was not responsible for the other artwork.
Instagram: sydney_marathon
The front of the Sydney Marathon medal features an artwork by Ambrose Killian
The blunder follows a similar incident at last year's Great North Run in Newcastle, where medals mistakenly featured the Sunderland and Wear River – which is not part of the event.
Sydney was announced as the seventh city added to the Abbott majors series in 2024, joining London, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, New York, and Tokyo. Cape Town is set to become the eighth city when it hosts its first marathon major next year.
Great North Run medals show wrong city and river
Running<br>Marathon running<br>Sydney<br>Australia
Related
'We're running to help break mental health stigma'
Charity 10km run continues man's legacy
Wellness habits you can start now - at no (or little) cost
More from the BBC
3 hrs ago
Starc takes 10 wickets as Australia thrash Bangladesh
Mitchell Starc takes 10 wickets in the match as Australia bounce back to win the second Test against Bangladesh by an innings and 51 runs and draw the series.<br>3 hrs ago
4 hrs ago
Can you name the top 20 Test batters in the world?
Can you name the top 20 batters in the world based on the International Cricket Council's Test rankings?<br>4 hrs ago
5 hrs ago
Man completes 2,800 mile scoot across Australia
Bob Brown from Saltash has ridden a non-electric scooter from Perth to Sydney.<br>5 hrs ago
7 hrs ago
'We're not going to run from it': Sydney Marathon laughs off medal error
Runners will receive a medal at the 2026 Sydney Marathon with an engraving of a German stadium.<br>7 hrs ago
16 hrs ago
The hotel booking mix-up that could free mushroom murderer
A table tennis tournament and a throat lozenge could help Erin Patterson's lawyers overturn her convictions.<br>16 hrs ago
BBC in other languages<br>The BBC is in multiple languages<br>Read the BBC In your own language<br>BBC News Brasil<br>BBC News Mundo (Spanish)<br>BBC News မြန်မာ (Burmese)<br>BBC News 中文...