Major marathon medal contains glaring mistake and organisers have refused to do anything about it

Munich's Allianz Arena was accidentally engraved onto finishers' medals rather than Sydney's own Allianz Stadium.

A spokesman for the Sydney Marathon told the BBC: "A little too much international flavour has found its way onto the back of the finishers medal, with an incorrect depiction of the stadium."

He described it as "an unfortunate error" but insisted organisers would not shy away from the gaffe, declaring: "We're not going to run from it."

The two stadiums share a naming sponsor but look strikingly different: Munich's arena features a distinctive exterior formed by thousands of diamond-shaped inflatable panels, whereas its Sydney counterpart boasts a smoother profile defined by elongated bronze fins.

The double-sided medal does feature genuine Sydney landmarks on its front, with the Opera House and Harbour Bridge — both situated along the 42.2km course — clearly depicted.

Its reverse showcases an ornate gold and indigo pattern created by First Nations artist Ambrose Killian, whose work has drawn widespread praise. Killian confirmed to the BBC that he played no part in designing the face of the medal bearing the incorrect stadium.

Social media users were quick to identify the architectural discrepancy once the design was publicly shared.

Munich's Allianz Arena joined in the fun with a light-hearted Instagram post: "Oh wow, we didn't have that on our bingo card!"

The German venue went on to suggest a shared thread between itself and the Sydney Opera House, pointing to their "unique architecture" and noting that "both are worth a visit."

Despite the blunder, organisers confirmed that all 40,000 participants will receive the medal as produced, with no plans to issue a corrected version.

The spokesman embraced the mishap, saying: "It's a beautiful medal, and now a little more unique."

The event has attracted record numbers, with more than 120,000 ballot entries submitted for this year's race.

Organisers also highlighted unprecedented levels of fundraising alongside the surge in participation.

The medal mix-up coincides with NHS England's plans to launch a "marathon a month" walking initiative early next year, devised in partnership with Olympic medallist and Great North Run founder Sir Brendan Foster.

Sir Foster, who was commissioned by NHS England to create the programme, said: "I'm known for running, but the ambition here is far simpler. We just want people to walk. Simple."

The scheme encourages roughly 30 minutes of daily walking, which over a month adds up to approximately 26 miles — the equivalent of a full marathon distance. Progress can be logged via an online platform, smartphone or smartwatch.

Drawing on the "streak culture" habit-forming approach popularised by apps such as Duolingo and Snapchat, the programme aims to sign up more than 100,000 participants.

It forms part of England's 10-year health strategy, addressing a stark reality: physical inactivity is linked to one in six deaths nationally.