Come behind the scenes and see how the Tokyo 2020 Olympic medals became the ultimate recycling project.
The medals were created through the effort of the people of Japan who donated their unused mobile phones and small electronic devices to fund the material needed to create approximately 5000 medals for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
The campaign yielded 32 kilograms of gold, 3,500 kilograms of silver and 2,200 kilograms of copper and zinc.
The gold and silver medals will be the heaviest ever used at a Summer Games, weighing in at 556 and 550 grams, respectively, and the bronze medal at 450 grams.
The composition of the 85 millimeter diameter Gold medal is more than 6 grams of gold plating on pure silver.
The Silver medal is pure silver and the Bronze medal is red brass (95% copper and 5% zinc).
The medal design, selected from 400 entries, is by Junichi Kawanishi.
The front continues the long-standing tradition of depicting Nike, the mythical Greek goddess of victory, as required by the International Olympic Committee.
The back bears the Olympic rings and Tokyo 2020 logo inside a swirl design, intended to sparkle with myriad patterns of lights to represent the “energy” and “diversity” of the Games.
The side of each medal will be inscribed with the name of the event for which it is presented.
The design of the medals reflects the concept that in order to achieve glory, athletes have to strive for victory on a daily basis. The medals resemble rough stones that have been polished and now shine.
The ribbon will employ the traditional Japanese design motifs found in ichimatsu moyo (harmonised chequered patterns) and kasane no irome (traditional kimono layering techniques) in a modern presentation.
Each circular medal case is distinct and made from Japanese ash.
Title suggested by Money for Nothing – dIRE sTRATS
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