Runners finishing the Sydney Marathon next week will receive a special medal, but it depicts a famous building located on the other side of the world.
Event organisers revealed the medal design on social media, telling participants that the award would show landmarks from the 42.2-kilometer race course. The design includes the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. It was also meant to show Allianz Stadium in Sydney, which runners pass during the marathon.
However, designers accidentally etched the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany—the home stadium of the Bayern Munich football team—onto the medal instead of the Sydney stadium.
A spokesperson for the TCS Sydney Marathon called the mix-up an "unfortunate error," but noted that participants and partners took the mistake in good humor. The German stadium also responded to the news with surprise on social media.
Organisers said the medal is now even more unique, emphasizing that the mistake does not change what the award means for the 40,000 participants who trained for months. The reverse side of the medal features a separate gold and indigo design by First Nations artist Ambrose Killian.