One week out from the world-renowned Sydney Marathon, organisers face questions about whether designers etched the wrong city’s stadium on the participation medal.
The medal appears to feature a stadium carved in the likeness of Allianz Arena in the German city of Munich, rather than Allianz Stadium in Sydney – which the 42.2km (26.2 mile) course runs past.
Some 40,000 runners will be taking part in the event on 30 August, after more than 120,000 ballot entries.
Speculation about a possible mix-up began after Sydney Marathon’s official social media account unveiled its design for the 2026 medal, inviting users to “look closely and you’ll find the story of the course in the details”.
They continued: “A beautiful Sydney skyline brings the course to life, featuring the landmarks runners will experience along the way – starting with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and finishing at the world-famous Sydney Opera House.”
Munich’s Allianz Arena is sculpted by thousands of diamond-shaped inflatable cushions, while Sydney’s similarly-named Allianz Stadium has a flatter façade smoothed with long bronze fins.
The other face of the double-sided medal features a gold and indigo pattern designed by First Nations artist Ambrose Killian. Forty-two half-round markings lining the circular edge “represent each kilometre of the course”, organisers explained.
Killian told the BBC he was not responsible for the other artwork.
The front of the Sydney Marathon medal features an artwork by Ambrose Killian
The blunder follows a similar incident at last year’s Great North Run in Newcastle, where medals mistakenly featured the Sunderland and Wear River – which is not part of the event.
Sydney was announced as the seventh city added to the Abbott majors series in 2024, joining London, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, New York, and Tokyo. Cape Town is set to become the eighth city when it hosts its first marathon major next year.
