2016-06-28 Tue

The world’s biggest sporting event, the 2016 Olympics is just around the corner and everyone waits in anticipation to know about the design and composition of the medals that the athletes would be competing for. The Brazilian Mint and the International Olympic Committee revealed the gold, silver, and bronze medals last week. The theme chosen this time is the powerful forces of nature with Olympic heroes. Going with the theme, the medals feature the Greek god of sport - Nike, and the symbol of victory in ancient Greece - laurel leaves.

The gold, silver and bronze coins for the blind athletes participating in the Paralympic Games will have a distinct sound, allowing the participants to identify which medal they have won.

As per the Olympic standards, a "gold" medal is made of .925 fine silver, the rest of the content is made of copper and the medal is plated with pure gold of 6 grams. The gold used for plating was extracted without the use of mercury.

To maintain the theme of natural forces, the medals consist of recycled metal and the ribbons are made from recycled plastic bottles. The cases are made from freijó wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).