Answer & explanation
The official answer, with Fermi’s reasoning step by step.
Answer & explanation
Official answer
770
pounds
How to estimate it
Fermi’s official “Napkin math”
Start with the events. A Winter Olympics has about 100 of them, each with a gold, a silver and a bronze. Hockey, curling and the relays give a medal to every player on the team, so call it double. How heavy is one medal? They are big, chunky things. Maybe a pound each?
- Events
- ~100
- Medals per event
- × 3
- Teams get one each
- × 2
- Each medal
- × ~1 lb
- 100 × 3 × 2 × 1 lb
- ≈ 600 lb
Start with the events. A Winter Olympics has about 100 of them, each with a gold, a silver and a bronze. Hockey, curling and the relays give a medal to every player on the team, so call it double. How heavy is one medal? They are big, chunky things. Maybe half a kilo each?
- Events
- ~100
- Medals per event
- × 3
- Teams get one each
- × 2
- Each medal
- × ~0.5 kg
- 100 × 3 × 2 × 0.5 kg
- ≈ 300 kg
Rounded assumptions may give a slightly different estimate. The official answer above is the game’s reference value.
Source calculation & reference
- 245 golds at 506 g
- 123,970 g
- 245 silvers at 500 g
- 122,500 g
- 245 bronzes at 420 g
- 102,900 g
- Total
- ≈ 349 kg, or 770 lb
Reference cited by Fermi: Milano Cortina 2026 and the Italian State Mint (IPZS), medal unveiling, July 2025: 245 gold, 245 silver and 245 bronze Olympic medals, weighing 506 g, 500 g and 420 g
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