Unique, Innovative and Typically Bavarian
European Championships Munich 2022 present medal design
The first golden moment came ten days before the start of European Championships Munich 2022. The medals were presented in Munich 2022’s own pop-up store on Marienplatz. Inspired by a Munich original also convinced Alma Bestvater and Oliver Zeidler, who will be hunting for medals in sport climbing and rowing.
When the gymnasts start the all-around finals from 11 August, they will also open the competition for gold, silver and bronze. A total of 177 sets of medals will be awarded in 11 days at European Championships Munich 2022. Around 4,700 athletes will compete in Munich in the nine Olympic sports of athletics, beach volleyball, canoe sprint, cycling, gymnastics, rowing, sport climbing, table tennis and triathlon for the highest continental award - European Championship gold.
The organisers presented the design of the medals to the public for the first time on Monday in their own pop-up store on Munich's Marienplatz. The medal set will remain there for the public to admire until the conclusion of the event.
“European Championships Munich 2022 will soon captivate the whole of Munich. We are delighted that the medals have found a fitting place next to our city hall. These decorative pieces will make this extraordinary multi-sport event even more tangible for the people of Munich ”
As well as personal advice for ticket buyers, the pop-up store also offers everything the merchandising heart desires - hoodies, shirts, caps, lanyards and pendants as well as gym bags and much more. On Monday, however, the focus was on precious metals.
The medals were presented by Christina Hering, multiple German champion over 800 metres, and rowing World champion Oliver Zeidler, among others. The two Class of 22 athletes were already closer to gold, silver and bronze than their competitors - at least for a brief moment. Whether they will be able to hang one of the medals on their wall at home will become clear in just under two weeks.
Zeidler wants to defend his European Championship title on 14 August and follow in his grandfather's footsteps. "The European Rowing Championships in Munich are a very special competition for me. 50 years after my grandfather's Olympic victory, I also get to row for gold at the Olympic Regatta Centre. I will give all I have to be victorious," says the reigning World and European Champion, looking forward to the upcoming defence of his title with great anticipation.
The race for precious metal by 800-metre runner Hering will take place in her living room at Olympiastadion on 20 August. “It would be a dream to win a medal at my home European Championships. I really like them,“ said the local favourite with a keen eye on the design. But she also recognises: “The European competition is fierce.“
About 1,300 medals will be made. The design was realised in cooperation with Designworks. The BMW Group subsidiary, Official Premium Partner of the European Championships 2022, is active worldwide as a creative consultancy and provides clients from other industries with its knowledge of the complex automotive sector in joint projects.
““I am very pleased that the European Championships are coming to Munich this year. When designing the medal, it was important for us to create a strong reference to the venue and make it a true icon of this multi-sport event.”
The medal design result is not only something to be proud of: The different shades in the form of the world-famous tent roof construction of Olympiapark can be clearly felt and make the "Back to the Roofs" slogan of European Championships Munich 2022 palpable. The logo on the front is also imprinted and not embossed, as is usually the case. A basic demarcation between the sports is provided by the medal ribbons in the respective colours of the nine European Championships - Hering's medal ribbon, for example, would be orange, Zeidler's turquoise. The logo of the sport is engraved on the back, which is enhanced by the name of the medallists, making each medal unique.
Florian Weber, Creative Director and Head of Event Presentation in the organising committee of European Championships Munich 2022, provides further insights into the design and implementation: "In developing the medal, we wanted to retain the distinctive triangular shape and at the same time pursue new paths both with and within this shape," explains Weber, adding an important feature: "The integration of the medal ribbon into the medal ensures unity. The crossed medal ribbon is a visual reference to the folded "arms" of the Munich pretzel. This also ensures that the medal does not twist and can always be worn correctly. And we were able to gain a prominent display area for the respective sports pictogram. The pictograms are also directly related to Munich in their historical development. In 1972, their predecessors were created by Otl Aicher for the Summer Olympic Games."
“The BMW Group and, in this case, those responsible at Designworks, are incredibly creative partners for European Championships Munich 2022. The joint development of the medal design has once again proven the excellent teamwork. The athletes who make it onto the winners’ podium can definitely look forward to a very special medal.”