Only nine athletes have been awarded super-rare Olympic medal with just six receiving it since 2004

Only nine athletes have ever received a super-rare Olympic medal which cannot be won at the Games themselves.

A total of 5,084 medals were produced for the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics, with a total of 878 medal events contested across the summer.

Established athletes such as Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky continued their Olympic legacies, while France swimmer Leon Marchand took home four gold medals and was arguably the star of the Olympics.

In the Paralympics, cyclist Sarah Storey further cemented her position as Great Britain's most successful Paralympian with an astonishing 19 gold medals.

But gold medals handed out by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are not just limited to the Summer or Winter Olympics/Paralympics themselves.

The Pierre de Coubertin Medal is given out to athletes who 'exemplify the spirit of sportsmanship or exceptional service to the Games'.

Frenchman De Coubertin was the co-founder of the IOC and is known as the 'father of the modern Olympic Games'.

Pierre de Coubertin (seated, right) helped to organise the 1900 Olympics in Paris and 1906 edition in Athens (Image: Getty)

It is not only athletes that are eligible to receive the highest-honour medal, as it has previously been awarded to officials, administrators, journalists and even artists for their work in relation to the Olympic movement.

It is widely known as the 'fourth medal' that can be received - although it is incredibly rare.

Only nine athletes have ever received it, with two of those being posthumous awards.

Here is the full list of athletes:

Leon Stukelj (Slovenia)

Slovenian Olympic gymnast Leon Stukelj was the first athlete to be awarded the Pierre de Coubertin Medal back in November 1999.

He competed at the Olympics between 1924 and 1936, winning four gold medals. In 1996, he was the oldest living Olympian.

He was awarded the medal posthumously four days after his death at the age of 100 in 1998.

Joao Havelange (Brazil)

Ex-FIFA President Joao Havelange was involved with the IOC for 48 years (Image: Getty)

Joao Havelange might be more widely-known to many as being the controversial President of FIFA, but the Brazilian was also heavily involved with the Olympics.

He was a member of the IOC for 48 years from 1963 to 2011, and was awarded the medal in 2000.

Havelange competed at the Olympics twice - once as a swimmer in 1936, and once as a member of Brazil's water polo team in 1952. He died, also at the age of 100, in 2016.

Emil Zatopek (Czechoslovakia)

Nicknamed 'The Czech Locomotive', Emil Zatopek revolutionised long-distance running in the 1940s and 1950s.

He won gold medals in the 5,000 metres, 10,000 metres and the marathon between 1948 and 1952, and broke world records in 10,000m and 20km among other distances.

Zatopek was awarded the Pierre de Coubertin Medal in 2000, two weeks after his death at the age of 78.

Cecilia Tait (Peru)

Cecilia Tait was a key member of the Peruvian women's volleyball team in the 1980s, and won a silver medal at the Seoul 1988 Games.

She was awarded the medal in 2003 'in recognition of her contribution to the promotion of women in sport'.

Vanderlei de Lima (Brazil)

Vanderlei de Lima was attacked during the 2004 Olympic men's marathon (Image: Getty)

Brazilian long-distance runner Vanderlei de Lima was set to win the men's marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympics - but was attacked by a former Irish priest with just over four miles to go.

If you're slightly confused by that revelation, Neil Horan became sadly infamous at the time for his attempts to interfere in major events, including the 2003 Formula 1 British Grand Prix - where he ran down the Hangar Straight during the race, forcing cars to swerve to avoid him. He also planned to interfere in the 2006 football World Cup in Germany over alleged plans to host a pro-Adolf Hitler protest but was arrested by authorities and spent time in jail.

Lima dropped to third place after the attack and was awarded the medal by the IOC on the same day for his sportsmanship during the race.

Elena Belova (Soviet Union/Belarus)

Elena Belova was a foil fencer who won four Olympic gold medals between 1968 and 1980 across individual and team events.

Away from competition, she was also awarded a PhD in Pedagogy in 1970. Belova was awarded the Pierre de Coubertin Medal in 2007.

Shaul Ladany (Israel)

Shaul Ladany survived the Holocaust and a 1972 terrorist attack on members of the Israel Olympic team (Image: Getty)

Israeli long-distance runner Shaul Ladany was awarded the medal in 2007 for 'unusual outstanding sports achievements during a span covering over four decades'.

Ladany was just eight years of age when he survived a concentration camp during the Holocaust, and also survived the 1972 Munich Massacre terrorist attack during that year's Olympics which killed two Israeli athletes.

In competition, Ladany still holds the world record in the 50-mile walk, winning a world championship gold medal in the 100-kilometre discipline. He did not win an Olympic medal but did compete twice at the Games.

Viktor Mamatov (Soviet Union/Russia)

Viktor Mamatov won two gold medals at the 1968 and 1972 Winter Olympics. A biathlete, he triumphed in the team 4 x 7.5km relay event on both occasions.

After retirement, Mamatov moved into sports administration with the Soviet and later Russian teams, leading them into five separate Winter Olympics as a coach. He died at the age of 86 in 2023.

Boyen Radev (Bulgaria)

Boyen Radev was a Greco-Roman wrestler and one of only six Bulgarian athletes to win multiple Olympic gold medals.

Radev triumphed at the 1964 and 1968 Games in the light heavyweight category, and later worked for the Bulgarian government after his retirement. He was awarded the Pierre de Coubertin Medal in 2009.