Italy Rome
XVII Summer International Olympic Games

The 1960 Summer Olympics demonstrated a record profile in terms both the number of contestants (5338 athletes including 611 female ones) and the number of participating nations (83).
Athletes of the West Indies Federation (including Trinidad and Tobago that earlier competed as “Antilles”), Morocco, United Arab Republic (including Egypt and Syria that earlier competed at the Olympics individually), San Marino, Sudan and Tunis made their first appearance at the Games.
The USSR delegation was represented by 284 athletes. They competed in all scheduled events except football (the Soviet team lost the qualifying matches) and field hockey.
At the 1960 Olympics, totally 150 sets of medals had been played for in 21 sports.
The Olympic Flame was lit at the Rome Stadium by Giancarlo Peris. The Athlete’s Oath was voiced by 1948 London Olympic champion Italian discus thrower Adolfo Consolini. The Games of the XVII Olympiad were officially opened by President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Gronchi. 

WINNER MEDALS
The design of the Rome Olympic medals was a replica of that made for the preceding Olympics, yet many Italian critics and designers advocated alteration of the design. And they had succeeded in something. For the first time the Rome Olympic winner medals were provided with an attractive suspension chain formed of olive leaf links. Besides, the medal itself was ornamented with a modest olive leaf wreath attached thereto with special clamps. Such medals were awarded to the champions and Olympic winners in individual events. The winners in team events were awarded medals without the chain.
The design of the Olympic medal obverse and reverse sides was a replica of the medals stricken for the preceding Games. The only difference was in the name of the host city and date of the XVI Olympiad.
OBVERSE: a figure of the Greek Goddess of Victory, holding a laurel wreath in her right hand, hand raised, and a palm leaf in her left hand. On the left of the goddess, there is a Panathenaean amphora standing on a shelf rock, with depicted competing athletes. A view of an amphitheatre looking like the Roman Coliseum appears on the right of the goddess. A three-line inscription in Italian reading “GIOCHI DELLA – XVII OLIMPIADE – ROMA MCMLX” (English: Games of – XVII Olympiad – Rome 1960”) is engraved in the right upper segment.
REVERSE: a scene of an Olympic champion with a palm leaf in his left hand carried in triumph by other athletes; his right hand is raised to hail. The designer’s initials “G.C.” (Giuseppe Cassioli) are engraved at the right edge of the medal next to an athlete figure. 

COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL
OBVERSE: for the first time in the Olympic history it depicts a nude young female athlete but not the Goddess of Victory running and bearing the Olympic Torch with the Olympic rings in the background. The designer’s initials “E.G.” (Emilio Greco) are engraved on the right of the female.
REVERSE: a composition of eagles rising from the Olympic Stadium of Rome and disappearing in the sky to symbolize Olympic glory in the internal circle, with the legend in Italian around the rim “GIOCHI DELLA XVII OLIMPIADE” (English: Games of the XVII Olympiad”) and “ROMA MCMLX” (English: Rome 1960”) at the bottom edge.