Bronze medal Bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives a gold medal and the second place a silver medal. More generally, bronze is traditionally the most common metal used for all types of high-quality medals, including artistic ones. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, Missouri, before which only first and second places were awarded. Minting Olympic medals is
Merit Medal in Silver Decoration, the Southern Cross Medal (1975) and Pro Merito Medal (1975), and the Military Merit Medal. The decoration could be awarded to veteran cadres of Umkhonto we Sizwe who had distinguished themselves during the "struggle" by exceptionally meritorious service and particular devotion to duty. The position of the Merit Medal in Silver in the official military and national orders of precedence was revised upon the institution of a new set of honours on 27 April 2003, but it remained unchanged. The Merit Medal in Silver was struck in silver, to fit in a circle 38 millimetres in diameter. It depicts