The medal that will put Sydney on the map. The wrong map

The Sydney Marathon scheduled for next Sunday has again put the city on the map, but maybe not the right map.

When organisers of the TCS Sydney Marathon unveiled the official 2026 medal that is engraved with the major landmarks along the 42.2 km course past the Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and St Mary’s Cathedral, marathon runners spotted a detour that could add substantial distance … and time.

Instead of including Sydney’s Allianz Stadium on Moore Park Road, Centennial Park, they included the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, some 16, 404 km away.

When contacted for comment, a TCS Sydney Marathon spokesperson said: “We’re not going to run from it, it was an unfortunate error, though it’s certainly given everyone something to talk about this weekend, mostly in good humour.

“A little too much international flavour has found its way onto the back of the finisher’s medal, with an incorrect depiction of the stadium.”

With the event just a week away, the finishing runners will receive the existing medal with error intact. It will make it even more memorable, the spokesperson said.

“What (the medal) represents does not change. Behind every one of these medals is months of early mornings, long runs and quiet determination, and having it placed around your neck at the Sydney Opera House is a moment our participants will never forget.”

To be fair to the organisers, the stadiums are similar. Both are round, large and designed to disguise their size. Munich’s stadium is made from inflated plastic panels, while Sydney’s Allianz Stadium was designed to resemble a cloud.

News of the error has made headlines around the world. The BBC reported that one week out from the world-renowned Sydney Marathon, organisers faced questions about whether designers etched the wrong city’s stadium on the participation medal.

On Morning Coffee Run, a popular social media account, the error attracted hundreds of comments and likes. Host James Dunn said it was a major mess up. “Oh dear this is bad … Because someone Google-searched the wrong thing and got the Allianz Arena rather than the Allianz Stadium, which is in Sydney,” he said.

The German Allianz Arena responded with humour. “Oh wow, we didn’t have that on our bingo card! 😂 Perhaps they tried to find something else they had in common: Allianz Arena_____Sydney Opera House. Unique Architecture ______ Both are worth a visit!”

The error was uncovered after organisers unveiled its official 2026 medal, urging the public to look closely to “find the story of the course in the details”.

It is the second major blooper to embarrass organisers of a marathon. Runners at the 2012 Edinburgh Marathon were embarrassed when presented with what appeared to be a penis-shaped medal.

Organisers of the Sydney Marathon said the markings around the edge represent each kilometre of the course, while the eight circles on the back represent the World Marathon Majors.