Olympic medals revealed for Rio 2016
With just 51 days to go till the 2016 Summer Olympic Games get underway in Rio, the Brazilian Mint have unveiled the medals that athletes will be competing for.
According to the official Rio2016 website, the silver and bronze medals have been produced using 30 per cent recycled materials. Half of the plastic in the ribbons which will be used to hang the medals around athletes’ necks comes from 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 according to strict sustainability criteria: 812 gold, 812 silver and 864 bronze.
For the first time, the medals are slightly thicker at their central point compared with their edges. The name of the event for which the medal was won is engraved by laser
along the outside edge.
The Paralympic Games medals, which feature a special innovation, have also been revealed. They have a tiny device inside which makes 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 quietest).
