The New Crappy-Looking Olympic Medals

Published on February 10th, 2006

Posted by KB in General

More AOL discs saved from the garbage heaps

Honestly, is anyone not going to think of this the first time they see these medals?? How many free hours are the athletes going to get if they win these things?

64 users responded in " The New Crappy-Looking Olympic Medals "

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# 1 gquaglia said, on February 10th, 2006 at 4:40 pm

I like them, very different

# 2 Spankme said, on February 10th, 2006 at 4:54 pm

come on, they are not so bad…

# 3 mad gusto said, on February 10th, 2006 at 6:07 pm

Crappy little things.

They look so primitive.

From do you expect from that part of the world?

Little if any class.

Uuuuugleeeee.

# 4 Frank IBC said, on February 10th, 2006 at 6:23 pm

Oh, g-d, I thought they were CD’s too.

# 5 Raymond L Koenig said, on February 10th, 2006 at 6:29 pm

I usually keep those in a bin in my workshop.
I wonder who took them and sent them to Torino?

# 6 dD said, on February 10th, 2006 at 6:44 pm

Who the hell cares what the medal looks like, its the event that matters most. I think they look good personally. I like the colours on the ribbon. Maybe some techies should have designed it, could’ve come up with a nice little iMedal or someting….

# 7 doug said, on February 10th, 2006 at 6:58 pm

hmmm … how bad do you have to lose for them to give you the rubber one?

# 8 estacado said, on February 10th, 2006 at 7:27 pm

I love the design. People living outside the U.S. don’t even know what an AOL disc looks like.

# 9 rus62 said, on February 10th, 2006 at 7:33 pm

Aaah, make a chair out of them.

# 10 C. Flowers said, on February 10th, 2006 at 7:34 pm

They’re not that ugly. I guess they were getting a little short on metal when they were making them huh? Had to leave the middles out! : )

# 11 Jeremiah Staes said, on February 10th, 2006 at 7:51 pm

It’s just another sponsorship ploy. Next thing you know, Dunkin’ Donuts will be giving away in a promotional contest “Torino Holes.”

Seriously, though, I do like them. Not traditional, but I do like.

# 12 Steph said, on February 10th, 2006 at 7:54 pm

I’m sorry. I really like them.

# 13 Eideard said, on February 10th, 2006 at 8:26 pm

What, am I the only one here old enough to remember traditional Chinese coins? These will work fine for the Beijing summer olympics — except with a square hole.

# 14 Jonn said, on February 10th, 2006 at 9:34 pm

This wouldn’t be so bad if they weren’t trying so hard to look flat. I can see how these are cheaper to produce, but they still look like cheap CDs.

# 15 Pat said, on February 10th, 2006 at 9:48 pm

In a word, yes.

# 16 Pat said, on February 10th, 2006 at 9:54 pm

On the reverse side are Pavaroti’s Greatest Hits.

I confess, when I first set my eyes on them, AOL jumped into my mind. I showed my wife and before I could anything more then these are the Olympic medals, she asked if they were CDs.

Paul

The password is on the string, “torino 2006”. I don’t know if it is case sensitive.

# 17 KB said, on February 10th, 2006 at 10:00 pm

LOL, Pat ! I started to respond to Paul with your exact line about the password. I was also going to point out that maybe the reason they don’t come with a DVD case is because they include the handy carrying strap instead.

# 18 Kevin said, on February 10th, 2006 at 10:05 pm

Interesting observation, but I would remind you that the important thing is the athletic competition. Specifically, the important thing as that we Americans pummel those inferior little crap countries, and teach them that they better not **** with us, even when it’s snowing.

# 19 Jamel said, on February 10th, 2006 at 10:45 pm

Kevin that was an extremely unnecessary comment. How can you call other countries crap?

# 20 Luís Camacho said, on February 11th, 2006 at 2:11 am

WTF is a AOL disc?

# 21 Miguel Correia said, on February 11th, 2006 at 2:33 am

They have kinda ancient look to them. I think they’re beatiful… well, it’s all a matter of taste.

# 22 Pat said, on February 11th, 2006 at 7:08 am

Luís Camacho

AOL is short for America On Line. They are a very large Internet Service Provider here in the U S with something like 20 million customers. The joke is that once a month or so they send everyone a free CD offering to sign you up with a free trial period. Everyone in America has received several of them.

AOL uses their own browser. For those new to the Internet, they are fairly user friendly. Those with some experience stay away as AOL does a few not quite so nice things.

Last week there was a blog on Dvorak about someone who had built a chair from old CDs. We were joking then about them being from AOL. I used to use them to make “art objects” with my daughter when she was younger. I’ve seen others use them for reflectors at the end of their drive ways. And other uses include hanging several of them up into a Mobile that turns in the breeze and reflects the sun.

# 23 Floyd said, on February 11th, 2006 at 7:12 am

Was Life Savers a sponsor of the Torino Olympics?

# 24 RonD said, on February 11th, 2006 at 8:08 am

I don’t know about silver and bronze, but the gold AOL cd , uh medal, includes 1045 free hours.

# 25 Mike Drips said, on February 11th, 2006 at 8:29 am

Hey! I like the new medal design!
If you want something to complain about in regard to the Olympics, try the usual crappy coverage by American TV as well as the misleading Olympic sponsership ads by American corporations who actually donate just a wee bit of money to like the torch run and then run ads that lull you into thinking they donated some major cash.
I covered this at my http://forevervoyaging.blogspot.com blog as it has been a lifetime annoyance trying to watch the Olympics via the inept and casterated American TV coverage.

# 26 Daniel FR said, on February 11th, 2006 at 11:33 am

I’d like to fill a little knowledge gap here. Some of you may not believe it, but AOL discs are common in other countries too. At least in Germany. (For those of you who are not aware of where or what Germany is: It’s a medium-sized country in “Old Europe”, formerly known as the “Third Reich”, which formed, together with other countries, the “Central Powers”, an ancient predecessor of the “Axis of Evil”) Gnihihi!.

# 27 Locke said, on February 11th, 2006 at 11:40 am

mad gusto
“What did you expect from people in that part of the world?”
1. The Olimpic committee has members from all over the world.
2. AOL= AMERICA on line…..

# 28 Spooof said, on February 11th, 2006 at 3:07 pm

I didn’t even realize that the medals from each Olympic were different other than what was pressed on them. I agree that they look like cd blanks. There should be some standards for the medals.

Also with regards to the US Network’s coverage of the Olympics… you should get Canadian Satellite so you can watch CBC’s coverage. You will have to put up with the sub-par Canadian announcers, but at least you can watch the events and not just the US athletes. It would also help balance off the millions of illegal direct tv dishes up here.

# 29 ranron said, on February 11th, 2006 at 5:34 pm

Quoted from Pat:
———————————–
AOL uses their own browser. For those new to the Internet, they are fairly user friendly. Those with some experience stay away as AOL does a few not quite so nice things.
———————————–

I would like to point out that AOL actually uses the Netscape browser (AOl owns Netscape)

# 30 ranron said, on February 11th, 2006 at 5:37 pm

Look!

If you look at the bottom of the medals, there is a triagular symbol with 2006 on it. Many might see it as the symbol of Torino 2006. But the key is, its actually the AOL symbol in disguise indicating 2006 hours free!

Also remember AOL 3.0 GOLD?
Marketing it is.

# 31 moss said, on February 11th, 2006 at 7:30 pm

Have you seen how big these things are? Watched the award ceremonies after the combined nordic event and you should be Ahnold to keep from getting stoop-shouldered when you make the podium!

I do like the design. They were pretty much standard for decades. I’ve held the medals from Olympic winners in cycling and speed skating in the 70’s and they didn’t change from Olympic to Olympic. Wonder when this started?

# 32 Patrick said, on February 11th, 2006 at 7:32 pm

My 7 year old son saw one on a guy this evening. I said “Look, he won a gold medal.” His prompt reply was…”In what? Eating donuts?” I love kids!

# 33 Johann K said, on February 11th, 2006 at 8:35 pm

Something that strikes at the raw nature of the athelete, they’re not all too bad.

@ mad gusto… “They look so primitive.

From do you expect from that part of the world?”

What are you, a closed-minded fool? Torino = Italy = Ferraris and Italian cuisine.

# 34 Dan dD said, on February 12th, 2006 at 9:06 am

“I would like to point out that AOL actually uses the Netscape browser (AOl owns Netscape)”

If AOL owns Netscape, that means it is their own browser.

# 35 Michael Loper said, on February 12th, 2006 at 9:44 pm

So, if the winners of these events get large washers, i assume that the losers get matching screws?

# 36 kri said, on February 13th, 2006 at 12:02 pm

they look different and very interesting, i dont know what is ugly there, people usually have diificulty accepting new, if medals were from always like that we would see then like something ordinary

# 37 Michael Teige said, on February 16th, 2006 at 11:58 pm

I know what the medals are supposed to represent, the Italian Piazza, but not being all that familar with the Italian Piazza I learned that from the IOC website. I suppose if the Piazza was something familiar to you then you would “get it” I suppose. But not everyone is very familiar with Italian landmarks and therefore do not understand the concept behind the design and just see a flat disc with a big hole in the center. This, of course, makes many think of CDs, DVDs, doughnuts, washers, etc. Do I think it’s ugly? Well sorry for those who like it, but yes, I don’t think it meets the standard of looks that an Olympic medal should. In other words the thing is ugly! I really liked the medals from the Nagano games. Many did not know why half of the medal was jet black but apparantly the use of black laquer is something of a Japanese tradition or something (I recall a small video piece on the creation of the Nagano medals). I think the black laquer really made those medals unique (as they were not 100% gold, silver or bronze) and rather lovely to look at. Sorry for the Piazza medal supporters but I just don’t like the design and cannot believe it is the design that made the final cut!

# 38 Jan said, on February 17th, 2006 at 10:11 am

hmm…im not american (apparently im from an inferior crap country) and I receive AOL discs quite regularly. When I first saw these medals i immediately thought DVD…maybe they come with movies of their winning moments burned on it.

# 39 C. Jewell said, on February 17th, 2006 at 4:50 pm

I actually think the design’s pretty cool… or at least, I thought it was until I saw how huge they are! Nothing wrong with having a hole in them, but are the Olympics just going for bling-bling? Olympic medals should be classy and subtle. These are not.

# 40 Mrs Taz said, on February 17th, 2006 at 6:04 pm

to add to comment #38 – the losers don’t get large screws, they get screwed large! lol!

# 41 Steven said, on February 19th, 2006 at 12:43 am

These medals are the ugliest Ive ever seen! They are the worst medals ever! If I were working my ass off for four years and then saw these medals, Id be so pissed that after all that hard work, Id get these stupid ugly medals with a hole in the middle of it. Im sorry but these medals totally suck!

# 42 Cindy said, on February 19th, 2006 at 3:03 pm

They’re ok because they’re different. Remember the year the olympic medals were mostly clear and had the gold, silver or bronze center? I thought those were cool for a change. It’s crazy to complain over them being ugly and being mad that you worked hard for 4 yrs. only to get one of these medals. I’d like to buy a replica of one actually. Grow up people….because I sure think it would’ve been nice to see a gold one around Michelle Kwan’s neck. So, complain about something worth while.

# 43 Ivory Bill said, on February 19th, 2006 at 5:57 pm

Having seen the medals for the first time, I googled “Torino medals donut dvd” and this was the first site returned. Whiile I make no value judgement about the artistic merit of the medals (my personal taste in art leaning toward black velvet paintings of dogs playing cards and all), it was reassuring to see how many people shared my reaction to the medals.

# 44 static said, on February 21st, 2006 at 7:07 am

they suck

# 45 taur said, on February 21st, 2006 at 2:24 pm

It’s True!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/92629203@N00/102483601/

# 46 speedoflight said, on February 22nd, 2006 at 10:10 pm

I thought the medals were U-G-L-Y. The past Olympics medals (summer and winter) were so elegant, classic and had beautiful engravings on them. CD/DVD came to mind immediately when I saw them. What the hell were the Italians thinking about? For a country that brought forth high fashion from Milan, fast/sleek cars…you would think they could do better than these ugly medals.

Here’s my cynical explanation: Maybe at the last minute someone ran to the office supply store and bought DVD/CDs and tied ribbons on them.

# 47 adam said, on February 24th, 2006 at 9:52 am

I think the Italians are just trying to tell the athletes to bulk up. You know, put them on their weight bar and lift. Looks like a 10 pounder to me.

# 48 Al said, on February 24th, 2006 at 11:08 am

No you have it all wrong! The Olympic Committee punched out the center of the medals to sell the slugs as commemorative coins. This will create funds to pay for the medals.

# 49 Ciara said, on February 24th, 2006 at 12:45 pm

I hate the new olympic medals. The hole int he middle makes them look so cheap. I Like the way the old traditional medals look. They looked more prestige and the had a btter design on the front. These new ones look like sort of like my little brother’s nintendo Game cube discs.

# 50 Val Lester said, on February 24th, 2006 at 3:32 pm

I laughed out loud when I saw the medals for the first time, but this would be fun… what if everybody in the stands at Torino went out and bought cds and tied them around their necks in support of their favorite athlete. Couldn’t be sillier than those songs the Curling fans were singing. Jeepers Creepers, too funny… The Olympics are just so much fun. I’m so inspired by all of the athletes, they’re great.

One other thing. I gotta apologize for the jerk who is putting down other countries. Not Cool. That’s a reflection on that jerk, and hopefully not on the rest of America. As a military spouse I spend every day hoping for the prosperity of every other country and the people who live there. I pray for every child, regardless of the country they live in. I’m hoping that everyone in this world will find respect for one another and peace. GIve it, Get it.

# 51 ryan said, on February 24th, 2006 at 5:06 pm

I like the new medals.They have holes but i have no clue why! I wonder if it is just to put the ribon in? just because theres a hole in it doesn’t mean that is special or somthing well anyway i like them!!!!!!!!

# 52 Matt said, on February 24th, 2006 at 8:07 pm

Cheap doughnut like, AOL freebie disc look alikes!
I’ll bet if you turn them over you’ll see “MADE IN CHINA”

# 53 Just-an-Opinion said, on February 25th, 2006 at 9:58 pm

Just some facts…
- Not all doughnuts have holes in them.
- The missing center is symbolic of Italy and anyone could learn that if they looked it up on the internet, or read earlier on when it was explained.
- Plus anyone could make fun of the medals that were in Salt Lake City four years ago… Is it just me, or aren’t medals supposed to be round, because the medals in Salt Lake weren’t round and do you know why? Symbolism (Look it up).
- The USA is losing in the medal count to a country 3 times smaller in population (Germany) and is only beating other countries with significantly smaller populations by a couple of of medals (Canada 10 times smaller and Austria 30 times smaller).
-On a personal note both the Torino 2006 medals and the Salt Lake City 2002 medals are cool.
Question: How many medals did American Skiier Bode Miller Win?

# 54 Matt Benson said, on February 26th, 2006 at 1:40 am

I seriously think these are the coolest medals yet. This is the only one I would actually want to have. Its cool because it looks good and it fits in with the winter games. It just matches its surroundings. I cant believe you dont like it. You must be f**cking fags.

# 55 Elizabeth said, on February 26th, 2006 at 12:08 pm

Well ,they arnt traditional but id be happy if i won one!!!!!

but they look like they were sponsered dunkin dounuts!!!!

# 56 Helmut said, on February 26th, 2006 at 7:58 pm

I agree with the post that I would extremely f***cking disappointed if I trained for years, also the fact some athletes having trained 15+ years and with all this hard work I get this piece of crap. PLEASE

# 57 Helmut said, on February 26th, 2006 at 8:19 pm

As someone said the ones from Nagano were pretty sweet. And after looking through all the olympics it is the prettiest by a landslide.

http://www.olympic.org/upload/games/1998W_medal_b.jpg

The ugliest being the Sapporo 1972. Talk getting a lump of crap…..gees

http://www.olympic.org/upload/games/1972W_medal_b.jpg

Almost all the summer Olympic medals look the same.

# 58 Katy said, on February 26th, 2006 at 9:15 pm

I would rather have the traditional medal. Maybe these were supposed to be trendy italian chic pieces of s**t!

# 59 Frank said, on February 26th, 2006 at 9:30 pm

They really should have stuck with the traditional medal design, without the whole in it anyway. If I were an athlete I would want something solid looking; these appear sort of flimsy, somewhere between a discarded 45 record and CD disk. I’m surprised the Olympic committee went for these, but as so few athletes win them I doubt if anyone would throw them back.

# 60 Jim Norton said, on March 5th, 2006 at 3:47 am

I would love to see a picture of one of the male athletes filling that hole with his most intimate part dangling or jutting through it.

# 61 Barbara said, on March 28th, 2006 at 12:18 pm

Have you actually ever held one? They are very beautiful and actually quite thick and heavy. They look thin on television but are not.

And shame on those people who are dissing other countries. Totally cheap!

# 62 jemie said, on September 19th, 2006 at 4:31 am

this is dispicable you people we are ment to be one nation one union together as a race and you pick on some fanctastic art work that some one spent there time on you should all be shamed you make me sick with fury! GOD SAVE THEQUEEN when you hang yourself in self pitty!!!!!!!! this olympic medal is great beautiful and wonderfull skills your sinerly 10year old jemie!

# 63 viji said, on August 13th, 2008 at 2:49 am

yeah, italians aren’t quite so refined like the americans when it comes to design.. (lol) before you judge anything, especially design you should see the thing in detail, personally (having seen them up close) i thing the Italians did a splendid job!

# 64 Peahead said, on August 20th, 2008 at 8:34 pm

i think the medals are gorgeous. i wish theres a place that can make me a replica. ps. please do not send me an old aol disk. lol

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