Olympic Games At the 1896 Olympics only the first two received a medal; silver for first and bronze for second. The current three-medal format was introduced at the 1904 Olympics. From 1948 onward athletes placing fourth, fifth, and sixth have received certificates, which became officially known as victory diplomas; in 1984 victory diplomas for seventh- and eighth-place finishers were added. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, the gold, silver, and bronze medal winners were also given olive wreaths. The IOC does not keep statistics of medals won on a national level (except for team sports), but NOCs and the media record
2004 Summer Olympics medal table 2004 Summer Olympics medal table The 2004 Summer Olympics medal table is a list of National Olympic Committees ranked by the number of medals won during the 2004 Summer Olympics, held in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. A total of 10,625 athletes from 201 countries participated in these games, competing in 301 events in 28 sports. Kiribati and Timor Leste competed for the first time in these Olympic Games. Athletes from 74 countries won at least one medal, leaving 127 countries without a medal. The United States won the most gold medals (36), the most silver medals