Last week, on the Sydney Marathon's official Instagram account, organizers unveiled the medal design, stating that runners could discover the course's story in every intricate detail.

The post described "a beautiful Sydney skyline recreating the course, featuring landmarks athletes will experience", highlighting a design that begins with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and concludes at the world-renowned Sydney Opera House.

Sydney Marathon organizers unveiled the medal design for race finishers. *Photo: Instagram / Sydney_marathon*

However, one prominent landmark etched onto the medal was identified as the Allianz Arena, home to Bayern Munich Football Club in Germany, rather than Sydney's Allianz Stadium, which is part of the marathon route.

"A touch of international flavor was perhaps overrepresented on the medal's reverse side, with the stadium image mistakenly engraved", a TCS Sydney Marathon spokesperson stated on 23/8. "We are not shying away from this mistake. It's an unfortunate error, though it has certainly provided everyone with a talking point this weekend, mostly in good humor".

The BBC reported the error, which sparked amusement among various running blogs. Even Allianz Arena humorously commented on a post, stating, "Oh, this was not in our predictions".

One of the landmarks engraved around the Sydney Marathon medal's edge bears a striking resemblance to Allianz Arena. *Photo: Instagram / Sydney_marathon*

An exterior view of Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, on 16/3/2020. *Photo: Reuters*

The medal's reverse side features an indigo and gold design crafted by First Nations artist Ambrose Killian, symbolizing the race kilometers and the world's eight major marathons. Killian informed the BBC that he was not involved in designing the obverse side of the medal.

Sydney Marathon organizers maintain that the medal remains beautiful, now with an added touch of uniqueness. "The meaning it represents has not changed", the spokesperson affirmed. "Behind every medal are months of early morning training, long distances, and silent determination. The moment athletes wear this medal around their necks at the Sydney Opera House will be unforgettable".

The Sydney Marathon route passes through Allianz Stadium at Moore Park, which presents a distinct appearance compared to Munich's Allianz Arena. *Photo: Infrastructure NSW*

This incident is not an isolated one, as sports event medals have faced issues before. In 2012, some of the 23,000 participants in the Edinburgh Marathon noted that their finisher medals bore a resemblance to male genitalia.

Earlier this year, reports surfaced of Winter Olympic medals cracking or breaking. Additionally, at Paris 2024, several bronze medals rusted, necessitating their replacement.

This year's Sydney Marathon is scheduled for 30/8. In 2025, the event will welcome approximately 35,000 athletes from over 120 countries, marking its inaugural inclusion in the World Marathon Majors series.

This year's event is set to feature the strongest elite field in Australian marathon history, including world, Olympic, and World Marathon Majors champions. In the men's category, defending champion Hailemaryam Kiros will return to defend his title. His winning time of 2 hours 6 minutes 6 seconds at Sydney 2025 established a new record for the fastest marathon ever run on Australian soil.

A formidable contender is Alphonce Simbu, the Tanzanian athlete who secured a gold medal in the marathon at the 2025 World Athletics Championships. He boasts a personal best of 2 hours 2 minutes 47 seconds and has achieved two consecutive second-place finishes at the Boston Marathon.

Sisay Lemma, a champion of both the Boston and London Marathons, holds the fastest personal best among the entrants at 2 hours 1 minute 48 seconds. Timothy Kiplagat of Kenya, with a time of 2 hours 2 minutes 55 seconds, is also highly regarded, having previously set a Melbourne Marathon record.

The race's depth is further highlighted by the presence of 25 male athletes with personal bests under 2 hours 10 minutes, including 14 under 2 hours 5 minutes, and three who have achieved times under 2 hours 3 minutes.

Hong Duy (according to The Guardian)