---
title: "No Medals, Just a Stone Trophy: How the Winner of the First Absolute World Athletics Championships Will Be Rewarded"
description: "At the first Absolute World Athletics Championships, the winner will be presented with a unique stone trophy with gold inlay instead of medals. The tournament will be held on September 11–13, 2026, in Hungary, with Yaroslava Mahuchikh among the contenders."
date: 2026-09-02T13:52:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/absolute-world-athletics-championships-stone-trophy-instead-of-medals
tags: [world-athletics, absolute-championship, track-and-field, yaryna-mahuchikh, sebastian-coe, hungary]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# No Medals, Just a Stone Trophy: How the Winner of the First Absolute World Athletics Championships Will Be Rewarded

![Ukrainian high jumper Yaryna Mahuchikh at the start of the Heilbronn competition — an athlete whose results will count toward the first absolute World Athletics Championship](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/02/absolyutnyy-chm-po-legkoy-athletike-trofei-vmesto-medaley/absolyutnyy-chm-po-legkoy-athletike-trofei-vmesto-medaley-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- The traditional medals have been scrapped at the first Absolute World Athletics Championships: a unique trophy will be awarded to the winner only.
- Sebastian Coe explained the decision by noting that the tournament's concept identifies only one best athlete, so awarding a podium of three has lost its meaning.
- The trophy is made in the form of a stone sculpture with gold inlay and features a slot for a personalized bracelet, which all participants will receive.
- The tournament will be held on September 11–13, 2026, in Hungary; Yaroslava Mahuchikh has received a personal invitation, while four more Ukrainians are competing for qualification spots.

At the first-ever Absolute World Athletics Championships, the organizers have abandoned the familiar format of the awards ceremony: the traditional gold, silver, and bronze medals are not provided for here. Instead, the tournament winner will be presented with a unique trophy, which will be awarded to a single athlete only — the best performer according to the competition results. This is reported by [Sport RBC.UA](https://sport.rbc.ua), citing the official World Athletics page on the social network X (Twitter).

### Why the podium of three was scrapped

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe explained that the very concept of the tournament is built around the idea of identifying a single best athlete, rather than a podium of three finalists. In his words, in such a format the traditional awarding of the top three places has "lost its meaning," so the organizers have opted for an exclusive award for one champion. The same logic is confirmed by the publication sport.ua, which noted that unique trophies have been presented in place of medals.

### How the ceremony will take place

The awards ceremony will not take place in its usual form either: the trophy will be placed right in the sector, and the champion will collect it themselves amid the salute. Thus, the moment of presentation is integrated directly into the atmosphere of the competition, rather than being moved to a separate stage with a podium and a pedestal.

### The design of the award and the role of the bracelet

By the organizers' design, the trophy's design symbolizes the idea of "stamping your name in history." The award resembles a stone sculpture with gold inlay and replicates the tournament's logo. The structure features a special slot for a personalized bracelet: such a bracelet will be received by every participant of the competition, but only in combination with the cup does it form, in the organizers' words, a "perfect composition."

### Ukrainian contenders and the schedule

The historic tournament will be held on September 11–13, 2026, in Hungary. Among the contenders for the exclusive award are Ukrainian athletes: Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh has already received a personal invitation, while four more domestic athletes are competing for qualification spots through the world rankings and the Diamond League final. We remind you that Mahuchikh recently won a silver medal at a tournament in Germany — specifically at the high jump competition in Heilbronn, as can be seen from the inscription on her bib.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [No medals: the winners of the Absolute World Athletics Championships will receive exclusive awards](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/othersport/zhodnih-medaley-peremozhtsi-absolyutnogo-1788356907.html) - Первичный источник: отказ от медалей, уникальный трофей только для победителя, цитата Себастьяна Коу, формат церемонии, дизайн награды и браслет, даты 11–13 сентября в Венгрии, участие Магучих и ещё четырёх украинцев.
- [Unique trophies instead of medals. The awards of the Absolute World Championships are presented](https://sport.ua/news/903590-unikalnye-trofei-vmesto-medaley-predstavleny-nagrady-absolyutnogo-chm) - Независимое подтверждение факта замены медалей на уникальные трофеи абсолютного чемпионата мира.
- [Lysytskyna does not see Coe as IOC head due to biased management of World Athletics](https://tass.ru/sport/21629589) - Контекстный источник об управленческой роли Коу; не касается темы трофеев, противоречий с основной темой не выявлено.
- [IOC extended the powers of World Athletics head Coe within the organization](https://tass.ru/sport/27856095) - Контекстный источник об управленческой роли Коу; не касается темы трофеев, противоречий с основной темой не выявлено.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Will there be medals at the Absolute World Athletics Championships?
**A:** No. The organizers have abandoned the traditional medals: the tournament winner will be presented with a unique trophy, which will be received by only one athlete.

### Q: When and where will the tournament take place?
**A:** The competition will be held on September 11–13, 2026, in Hungary.

### Q: Are there any Ukrainian athletes among the contenders?
**A:** Yes. Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh has received a personal invitation, while four more Ukrainian athletes are competing for qualification spots through the world rankings and the Diamond League final.

### Q: What does the trophy's design symbolize?
**A:** The award, in the form of a stone sculpture with gold inlay, replicates the tournament's logo and symbolizes the idea of "stamping your name in history"; it features a slot for a personalized bracelet, which all participants will receive.