Tag: Look of the Games

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Beijing 2022; Olympic and Paralympic mascots unveiled

Image: The Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

 

Olympic Games: Bing Dwen Dwen

Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, and Minister of the General Administration of Sport of China and BOCOG Executive President Gou Zhongwen jointly unveiled Bing Dwen Dwen(冰墩墩), the official mascot for the Olympic Winter Games, along with Chinese short track speed skater Wu Dajing and local school student Zhang Jiman.

The jovial panda mascot is an ambassador for winter sports. Bing (冰) is the Chinese character for ice, while Dwen Dwen (墩墩) is a common nickname in China for children that implies healthiness, cuteness, and ingenuousness – characteristics also shared with pandas.

Clothed in a full body suit of ice, a symbol of purity and strength, Bing Dwen Dwen wants to emulate the physical and mental power of Olympians, and to help spread the enduring Olympic spirit. The heart shape in its left palm represents the host country’s hospitality, and the mascot is expected to connect and bring joy to people participating and watching the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 from all over the world.

The coloured halo surrounding its face is suggestive of ice and snow tracks, as well as the flowing “ribbons” on the exterior of the National Speed Skating Oval, one of two new competition venues in the Beijing zone that is expected to become a landmark of the Games.

The dynamic lines of the halo also embody the increased connectivity in the era of 5G communications. Resembling an astronaut, Bing Dwen Dwen stands for Beijing 2022’s embrace of new technologies that will bring about a future with infinite possibilities.

Source: The Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (BOCOG)

 

Paralympic Games: Shuey Rhon Rhon

Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and BOCOG President Cai Qi, Governor of Hebei Province and BOCOG Executive President Xu Qin, Chairperson of the China Disabled Persons’ Federation and BOCOG Executive President Zhang Haidi, together with Chinese wheelchair curler Chen Jianxin and local student Wang Ruoyu, introduced Shuey Rhon Rhon to the audience as the official mascot for the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games.

Shuey Rhon Rhon (雪容融) is a Chinese lantern child ready to welcome friends from around the world for a big party. Exuding positivity, the glow emanating from its heart symbolises the inspiring warmth, friendship, courage, and perseverance of Para athletes that light up the dreams of millions every day.

The Chinese lantern is a millennia-old cultural symbol associated with harvest, celebration, prosperity, and brightness. Red is the most auspicious and festive colour in the country, and is all the more fitting given that the Games will coincide with Chinese New Year celebrations in February and March 2022.

The overall design on Shuey Rhon Rhon draws from traditional Chinese papercut art and Ruyi ornaments, and features doves, Beijing’s iconic Temple of Heaven, and snow to symbolise peace, friendship, and good fortune.

Shuey has the same pronunciation as 雪, the Chinese character for snow. The first Rhon (容) in the mascot’s Chinese name means “to include, to tolerate”, while the second Rhon (融) means “to melt, to fuse” and “warm”. The name expresses the hope that there would be more inclusion for people with impairments, and more dialogue and understanding between cultures of the world.

Source: The Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (BOCOG)

 

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Tokyo 2020; Paralympic Games Medals

Design

©The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
©The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
©The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

 

The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) unveiled the official design of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic medals today, exactly one year before the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Designs for the medal ribbon and case were also unveiled.

The design is centred around the motif of a traditional Japanese fan, depicting the Paralympic Games as the source of a fresh new wind refreshing the world as well as a shared experience connecting diverse hearts and minds. The kaname, or pivot point, holds all parts of the fan together; here it represents Para athletes bringing people together regardless of nationality or ethnicity. Motifs on the leaves of the fan depict the vitality of people’s hearts and symbolise Japan’s captivating and life-giving natural environment in the form of rocks, flowers, wood, leaves, and water. These are applied with a variety of techniques, producing a textured surface that makes the medals compelling to touch.

Braille letters spell out “Tokyo 2020” on the medals’ face. A series of circular indentations on the side of the medals – one for gold, two for silver, three for bronze – make the medal types easy to distinguish by touch, the first time in Paralympic history that this provision has been made for athletes with a vision impairment.

As part of the Tokyo 2020 Medal Project, Tokyo 2020 Paralympic medals are being manufactured from recycled precious metals extracted from mobile phones and other small electronic devices donated by the public.

 

Specifications

Weight (without ribbon or pin)
-Gold: about 526g
-Silver: about 520g
-Bronze: about 430g

Thickness
-Thinnest point: 7.5 mm
-Thickest point: 10.7 mm

Diameter
-85 mm

Composition
-Gold: over 6 grams of gold plating on pure silver
-Silver: pure silver
-Bronze: red brass (95% copper, 5% zinc)

 

Medal designer

Sakiko Matsumoto
-Designer, Hakuhodo Products, Inc.

 

Video

 

Ribbon

©The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
©The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

 

The medal ribbons, in the Games’ colours of crimson and cherry blossom, employ traditional Japanese design motifs of harmonised chequered emblems (kumiichi matsumon) in a design that expresses both the festive spirit of the Games and the principle of “Unity in Diversity”. Silicon convex dots – one for gold, two for silver, and three for bronze – are applied to the ribbon’s reverse side, enabling visually-impaired individuals to easily identify the medal type at a touch.

 

Medal case design

©The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

 

The indigo wooden cases are individually hand-crafted from Japanese ash by highly skilled artisans. The unique wood grain of each case represents the diversity of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The circular case and lid are magnetised, allowing the medal to be displayed as if it is cradled within linked rings.

 

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

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Tokyo 2020; Artists selected to create Games posters

Olympic Games

  • Japan
    • Takashi HOMMA
      Photographer
    • Shoko KANAZAWA
      Calligrapher
    • Tomoko KONOIKE
      Artist
    • Daijiro OHARA
      Graphic Designer
    • Shinro OHTAKE
      Painter
    • Taku SATOH
      Graphic Designer
    • Asao TOKOLO
      Artist
    • Naoki URASAWA
      Manga Artist
  • Other countries
    • Theseus CHAN
      Art Director
    • Viviane SASSEN
      Photographer
    • Philippe WEISBECKER
      Artist

 

Paralympic Games

  • Hirohiko ARAKI
    Manga Artist
  • GOO CHOKI PAR
    Graphic Designer
  • Koji KAKINUMA
    Calligrapher
  • Chihiro MORI
    Artist
  • Mika NINAGAWA
    Photographer, Film Director
  • Tomoyuki SHINKI
    Artist
  • Asao TOKOLO
    Artist
  • Akira YAMAGUCHI
    Painter

 

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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