The winners of the ancient Greek Olympics were highly revered. Poets dedicated laudatory odes to them, monuments were erected in their honour and they were awarded olive wreaths and commemorative medals. The tradition of shrouding the Olympic champions with honour continues to exist even today. Their main award being medals. At the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, the champions received a silver medal and an olive wreath, while the athletes who took second place won a bronze medal and a laurel wreath. During the course of various Olympic Games medals have been changed in many ways. The study of the designs of Olympic medals may be made by the help of Olympic stamps as many countries issued several stamps depicting the various forms of Olympic medals.

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