🎉With exactly 1️⃣0️⃣ 0️⃣days to go before the start of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, the design of the medals that will be awarded at the Games has been unveiled! 🏅️🥈🥉#beijing2022#medal#Olympicspic.twitter.com/c5Zi9gZETe
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 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 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
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 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 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
The final design of the @youtholympics medals for @BuenosAires2018 has been released. The design was inspired by fireworks, which represent the enthusiasm and glory of the Youth Olympic Games. The Summer @youtholympics will be held in October 6-18 this year in Buenos Aires ?? pic.twitter.com/8f1PQHb6ho