The London 2012 Olympic medals have been unveiled, showing for the first time how the world will see Rio Tinto's metals when fashioned into these iconic symbols of success.
On 27 July 2011, a year to the day before the Olympic Opening Ceremony, the medals were revealed at a ceremony in Trafalgar Square, London, by Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal and London 2012 Organizing Committee chair Seb Coe. A few hours earlier, across town at Rio Tinto's Paddington headquarters, chief executive Tom Albanese delighted the Group's London-based employees with a preview of one of the gold medals.
The gold, silver and bronze Olympic medals have been designed by British artist David Watkins. As with all Summer Olympic medals, the front depicts Nike, Greek Goddess of Victory, stepping out of the Parthenon to arrive in the host city. The reverse encapsulates several symbolic elements, including the LOCOG emblem - a metaphor for the modern city; shards depicting radiating energy; and the River Thames, symbolizing London. The rim of each medal will be engraved with the winning athlete's sport and discipline. Each medal will weigh 375-400g, and will be 85mm in diameter and 7mm thick. The design and designer of the London 2012 Paralympic medals will be announced later in 2011.
James Cracknell at Rio Tinto's Paddington headquarters
From its Kennecott Utah Copper mine in the US and the Oyu Tolgoi project in Mongolia, Rio Tinto is supplying all the gold, silver and copper that will go into 4,700 Olympic and Paralympic medals. Earlier in July, Tom handed over the first ore to the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG). In total, more than eight tonnes of Rio Tinto's metal will be used. The medals will go into production later in 2011 at the Royal Mint's headquarters in Wales.
Rio release said “Rio Tinto is honored to be providing the raw materials for such an enduring symbol of achievement, and to be contributing to London 2012's commitment to delivering the most sustainable Games. Traceability is an important part of this we can trace every gram of metal we produce back to the mine. This allows us to ensure that the entire process meets our stringent standards, and enables LOCOG to certify that sustainable development concerns are being addressed at every stage.”
The Olympic medals, which are presented in recognition of the incredible achievement of outstanding athletes, will be made in Britain and have been designed by British artist David Watkins who is an established artist in the field of decorative art.
Interesting fact
4,700 medals will be presented
At 771 victory ceremonies
Across 31 venues
Contested by 10,500 athletes
From 205 countries
Competing in 26 Olympic sports
&
4,200 athletes from 162 countries
Competing in 20 Paralympic sports
In front of 4 billion viewers globally
And 20,000 media
Supported by 70,000 volunteers
