From cellphone to Olympic medal: Tokyo 2020 medal designs unveiled
As part of the One Year to Go celebrations, the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games unveiled the medal designs for Tokyo 2020 on Wednesday.
Tokyo 2020 Olympic medals are unveiled during the One Year to Go Olympic ceremony in Tokyo Wednesday, July 24, 2019. Gold, silver, and bronze Olympic medals were to get their first public viewing on Wednesday as Tokyo organizers marked exactly a year until the games open.(AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
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Designed by Junichi Kawanishi, the design of the Olympic medals reflect the journey that athletes face to be victorious everyday.
The overall design has a “light” and “brilliance” feel, resembling a diamond in the rough. The medals reflect different patterns of light, representing the energy of the athletes and their supporters.
Thought was also put into the ribbon that will hang around each athlete’s neck. The ribbon has traditional Japanese design motifs found in ichimatsu moyo (harmonised chequered patterns) and kasane no irome (traditional kimono layering techniques) in a modern format.
The design is a representation of Japan and how the country shows “Unity in Diversity”.
Weighing between 450 to 556 grams, the medals contain recycled materials from electronic devices. From April 2017 to March 2019, the Organising Committee collected around 78,985 tonnes of devices.
All of the 5,000 medals in gold, silver and bronze will be made from recycled materials. This is part of Japan’s goal to have an environmentally friendly and sustainable Olympic Games.
A Tokyo 2020 gold medal in its case. (Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games)
The case that will house each medal is inspired by the Tokyo 2020 emblem. Like the individual journey of each Olympic medallist, every medal case is unique with a different wood fibre pattern in the design.
The Tokyo 2020 Games will run from July 24 to August 9, featuring 11,090 athletes across 339 events.
