Milano-Cortina Medal Deep Dive: 3 Production Lessons 🥇

The Winter Olympics opened Friday and the first medals have been awarded. Up close, the Milano-Cortina medal carries three production decisions worth studying — beyond the headline-friendly split design.

Asymmetric Hanging Loop

The ribbon loop is offset from the medal's geometric center — so when an athlete wears it, the medal hangs slightly tilted, the way a real pendant would. Concentric loops always look stiff in photographs; the Milano-Cortina offset reads natural and modern. Cost on a custom die: zero. Visual upgrade: significant. Every race medal you order in 2026 should consider this single adjustment.

Front and Back Carry Equal Detail

Most medals treat the back as an afterthought — a sponsor logo and the engraving slot. Milano-Cortina gave the alpine-relief back the same craft hours as the front. Athletes are photographed flipping the medal during interviews, and the back is increasingly the social-media hero shot. Brief your designer to treat both faces as primary; do not let the back become the cheap side.