In brief
During the Sydney Marathon, a celebratory medal was mistakenly stamped with the image of Munich’s Allianz Arena instead of Sydney’s Allianz Stadium. Organisers, taking it in stride, said the error brought a touch of international flair to the award. Social media chatter highlighted the stylistic differences between the two stadiums, while a First Nations artist confirmed his design featured on the medal’s reverse side. Despite the mix‑up, the event, set for August 30th, will see around 40,000 runners complete the 42.2‑km course and ship out with their medals.
The Sydney Marathon’s organisers have laughed off a design error that saw the German Allianz Arena etched onto medals for finishers, tweeting “we’re not going to run from it.”
After the event’s official social‑media account posted the medal’s design, a sharper eye noticed that the rigged stadium looked far too familiar – it was the inflatable sandstone of Munich’s Allianz Arena, not Sydney’s similarly named Allianz Stadium.
A spokesperson for the organisers, Harry Sekulich of Sydney, said: “A little too much international flavour has found its way onto the back of the finishers medal, with an incorrect depiction of the stadium.” They added it had been “an unfortunate error.”
Sydney’s marathon course features iconic landmarks like the Opera House and Harbour Bridge; the medals’ front bears these images. The reverse side, fashioned in a gold‑and‑indigo pattern by First Nations artist Ambrose Killian, shows a distinct cultural flourish.
The altered medals were already in circulation and runners will receive them on the finishing line. Organisers met media quips with jokes – “We’re not going to run from it,” they said, bringing a lighthearted spin to the correction.
While the German Allianz Arena managed to poke fun Instagramly, mentioning the mistake, the event’s organisers look forward to the 30 August run, with some 40,000 participants turning in a memorable – albeit slightly misdirected – medal.
