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,
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