Sydney Marathon Laughs Off Medal Error – BBC News
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Sydney Marathon laughs off a mistake which saw a German stadium etched on to medals for participants
By Harry Sekulich
Reporting from Sydney
Published 1 hour ago
The organisers of Sydney Marathon have playfully brushed off a blunder which saw a German stadium etched on to medals for runners, saying: "We’re not going to run from it."
Questions arose after the event’s official social media account unveiled the design of this year’s medal, featuring what appeared to be Munich’s Allianz Arena on the bottom-right, instead of Sydney’s Allianz Stadium.
A spokesperson for the Sydney Marathon told the BBC:
"A little too much international flavour has found its way onto the back of the finishers medal, with an incorrect depiction of the stadium."
It was, they added, "an unfortunate error."
Users on social media noticed the shape of the stadium engraved on the medal appeared to be carved in the wrong likeness.
Munich’s Allianz Arena (bottom) is sculpted by thousands of diamond-shaped inflatable cushions, while Sydney’s similarly named Allianz Stadium (above) has a flatter facade smoothed with long bronze fins.
Sydney Marathon confirmed runners would receive the medal depicting the incorrect city’s stadium, noting:
"It’s a beautiful medal, and now a little more unique."
"It’s certainly given everyone something to talk about this weekend, mostly in good humour."
Germany’s Allianz Arena also poked fun at the mistake, writing on Instagram:
"Oh wow, we didn’t have that on our bingo card!"
"Perhaps they tried to find something else they had in common: Allianz Arena — Sydney Opera — Unique Architecture — Both are worth a visit!"
The reverse side of the Sydney Marathon medal shows a gold and indigo pattern designed by First Nations artist Ambrose Killian, who confirmed to the BBC that he was not involved in designing the other face of the medal.
Some 40,000 runners will take part in the event on 30 August, following more than 120,000 ballot entries. Organisers praised record participation and fundraising for this year’s event.
