An olive branch for the marathon champion

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© IOC

The champion of the marathon event at the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad in Athens will not only receive the gold medal, but also be symbolically crowned with an olive branch, the reward given to athletes at the Games of Antiquity.

Glory, peace and wisdom

In Antiquity, the olive tree symbolised glory, peace and wisdom. The branch from a centuries-old olive tree located in the commune of Vouves, 30 km from Chania, was presented on 30 May 2004 by the Mayor of this commune to Yiorgos Roubanis, the veteran Greek pole-vaulter and bronze medallist at the Melbourne Games in 1956

Replica of a Minoan ship

Marathon on historic route

At the Athens Games, the marathon will be staged on the historic route from the Stadium in the town of Marathon to the Panathinaiko Stadium.