Olympic medal began in 1896 medals started to be given to successful olympian competitors. However, gold medals were not awarded at the inaugural Olympics in 1896 in Athens, Greece. The winners were instead given a silver medal and an olive branch, while runners-up received a laurel branch and a copper or bronze medal. In 1900, most winners received cups or trophies instead of medals. The custom of the sequence of gold, silver, and bronze for the first three places dates from the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri in the United States. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has retroactively assigned gold,
Solomon Islands at the 2004 Summer Olympics International Olympic Committee on 31 December 1982. The Athens Games were their sixth straight appearance in the Summer Olympic Games since their debut in the 1984 Summer Olympics. The Solomon Islands have never won a medal in Olympic competition. The 2004 Summer Olympics were held from 13–29 August 2004; a total of 10,625 athletes participated, representing 201 National Olympic Committees. The Solomon Islands sent two athletes to Athens, both in track and field: Francis Manioru and Jenny Keni. Manioru was chosen as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony. Francis Manioru was 22 at the time of the Athens Olympics,