Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympic Games 2016 News

titicow · June 14, 2016

Weight = 500g

Diameter = 8,5cm

vinipereira · June 14, 2016

Rio 2016 reveals Olympic medals, celebrating nature and sustainability

With 52 days until the world’s best athletes go into battle for them, Rio 2016 and the Brazilian Mint have unveiled the medals for the Olympic Games. Bearing a design that celebrates the relationship between the strengths of Olympic heroes and the forces of nature, the 500g gold, silver and bronze medals have been made with sustainability at their heart.

The athletes who top the podium in Rio will receive medals made from gold that is completely free of mercury and was produced according to strict sustainability criteria, from mining to the end product.

The silver and bronze medals have been produced using 30 per cent recycled materials and the ribbons which will be used to hang the medals around athletes’ necks are made from 50 per cent recycled plastic bottles. The rounded cases that hold the medals were made from freijó wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

A total of 2,488 medals have been produced: 812 gold, 812 silver and 864 bronze.

The designs feature laurel leaves – a symbol of victory in ancient Greece, in the form of the wreaths awarded to competition winners – surrounding the Rio 2016 Olympic logo. The laurel leaves represent the link between the force of nature and Olympians.

According to Olympic Games tradition, the other side of the medals feature an image of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory with the Panathinaiko Stadium and the Acropolis in the background.

The Paralympic Games medals, which feature a special innovation, have also been revealed. They have a tiny device inside which make a noise when the medal is shaken, allowing visually impaired athletes to know if they are gold, silver or bronze (gold has the loudest noise, bronze the lowest).

Also revealed at the event on Tuesday (14 June) at the Future Arena in Barra Olympic Park, were the podiums, which are made from organic materials and celebrate the tropical nature of Brazil. The podiums were designed to be reused as furniture after the Games.