Tokyo 2020; Medals unveiled at one-year countdown event

Design

©The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
©The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The design of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic 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 which now shine, with “light” and “brilliance” their overall themes. The medals collect and reflect myriad patterns of light, symbolising the energy of the athletes and those who support them; their design is intended to symbolise diversity and represent a world where people who compete in sports and work hard are honoured. The brilliance of the medals’ reflections signifies the warm glow of friendship depicted by people all over the world holding hands.

In order to come up with a range of designs from which to choose, Tokyo 2020 held a competition open to professional designers and design students which attracted more than 400 entries.
Tokyo 2020 medal design competition (in Japanese)

International Olympic Committee regulations stipulate that obverse medal design should include the following elements:
-Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, in front of the Panathinaikos Stadium
-The official name of the respective Games, in this case the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
-the Olympic five rings symbol

 

Specifications

– Diameter: 85mm
– Thickness: Thinnest part: 7.7mm
– Thickest part: 12.1mm
– Weight Gold: about 556g
– Weight Silver: about 550g
– Weight Bronze: about 450g
– Composition Gold: more than 6 grams of gold plating on pure silver
– Composition Silver: pure silver
– Composition Bronze: red brass (95% copper and 5% zinc)
– Ribbons Attached to the top of medals
– Side of Medal The name of the event will be engraved in English

 

Medal designer

Junichi Kawanishi
-Representative, designer, SIGNSPLAN
-Director, Japan Sign Design Association
-Director, USD-O (Osaka Design Society)

 

Video

 

Ribbon

©The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
©The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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. The ribbon is designed to be a reflection of Japan itself and of the way the country demonstrates “Unity in Diversity”. The design also promotes the Tokyo 2020 brand vision of “Innovation from Harmony”.

Silicone convex lines are applied on the surface of the ribbon so that anyone can recognise the type of medal (gold, silver or bronze) by simply touching it. Chemically recycled polyester fibres that produce less CO2 during their manufacturing process are used; these allow the ribbons to incorporate the Tokyo 2020 core graphic colours and to be extremely durable at the same time.

 

Medal case design

©The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The design of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic medal case is inspired by the Tokyo 2020 Games emblem. Each case pays tribute to the Olympians who have reached the pinnacle of athletic achievement. Japanese craftsmen will carefully create the cases with a blend of traditional and modern techniques. Like each individual Olympian who steps onto the field of play, each medal case is distinct and has its own wood fibre pattern subtly infused into the design.

 

Source: The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games