Medal Replacement

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee assists Team USA athletes in the medal replacement process when an Olympic or Paralympic Games medal has been lost or stolen. The United States Olympians & Paralympians Association (USOPA) has a detailed process for requesting a replica from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) or the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) outlined below and will handle all communication on behalf of the Olympian or Paralympian. The process usually takes three to four months from initiation to completion.

Replicas are provided subject to the condition that they will not be used for commercial purposes and all necessary precautions will be taken to ensure the security and the protection of the replica. Should an athlete recover the original medal, the USOPC should be notified to arrange return of the replica to The Olympic Museum. Athletes may not sell, donate, pawn and/or destroy the replica without the written approval of The Olympic Museum. Please note, if there are any costs associated with the replacement of a Games medal, the costs will be the responsibility of the athlete

Some medals cannot be replicated due to their unique design (Lillehammer and Albertville). Replacement medals produced by the IOC will include the word “replica” inscribed on the medal to ensure the IOC and IPC can control what is on the collector’s market. Medals will not have any other inscriptions, i.e., name, sport, discipline, etc.

1. The athlete must complete a signed letter requesting the replacement medal that details the circumstances of the loss as well as the request to have it replicated. Only the Olympian or Paralympian who earned the medal can request a replacement. In the case of theft, the athlete must also provide a police report verifying the stolen medal. If a police report cannot be produced, USOPA will need an affidavit executed by the athlete providing the context of the medal being stolen and explaining why no police report was filed in the matter. All documents should be addressed to the office of USOPA (usopa.mailbox@usopc.org or ATTN: USOPA 1 Olympic Plaza Colorado Springs, CO 80909)
2. Once all documents are received, an official request will be sent to the IOC/IPC. The IOC/IPC will inform USOPA if the medal can be replaced. Once the medal is ready to ship, USOPA will work directly with the athlete and the IOC/IPC to secure payment (if applicable) and ensure all necessary agreements are signed.
3. The medal will be sent directly to USOPA, documented and then shipped to the athlete.

There is a separate medal replacement process for Paris 2024 athletes who notice premature aging of their medals. For this process, replacement medals will not be replicas but will be the same as the original medal awarded to the athlete. For more information on requesting a replacement medal from the Paris 2024 Olympic or Paralympic Games, please refer to the following documents:

MEDAL REPLACEMENT PROCEDURE OVERVIEW | ACCEPTANCE LIBRARY WITH PHOTOS | MEDAL REPLACEMENT FORM

Please feel free to direct any questions regarding medal replacements to our USOPC Alumni Relations team at usopa.mailbox@usopc.org