According to the BBC, Sydney Marathon organisers are facing questions after the design for next week’s participation medal appeared to show Munich’s Allianz Arena rather than Sydney’s Allianz Stadium, which the 42.2km course passes. Some 40,000 runners are due to take part on 30 August after more than 120,000 ballot entries. The marathon’s official social media account unveiled the 2026 medal design and said it would tell the story of the course, while the other side of the medal features a gold and indigo pattern by First Nations artist Ambrose Killian. Killian told the BBC he was not responsible for the other artwork. Sydney was added as the seventh city in the Abbott majors series in 2024, and Cape Town is set to become the eighth city when it hosts its first marathon major next year.