'Purest' gold medals for Rio Olympics

Rio de Janeiro: Not only the cost of hosting the 2016 Olympics has escalated, the medals to be given to the winners are also going to very expensive. The medals for these games have been made from extra special materials, and according to CNN, the melted gold and silver of a gold medal is about $587 in current market prices. The gold medals are purer than ever, meeting sustainability criteria from extraction to refining, as well as meeting strict environmental and labour laws. They make use of recycled raw silver at 92.5 per cent purity, coming from leftover mirrors, waste solders and X-ray plates. Forty per cent of the copper used in the bronze medals came from waste at the Mint itself. The substance was melted and decontaminated to provide material for the medals. The last time Olympic medals were made of pure gold was during the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. The man behind the design of these medals is Sculptor Nelson Neto Carneiro, and he led the team of 100 people including sculptors and machine operators working secretly in the Brazilian Mint to produce the 5,130 medals. “Seeing them on the podium, I'll know I made that medal. I'll feel like I'm getting a medal myself," Carnieiro was quoted him saying. According to an IOC release, the coveted prizes, which weigh 500g each, comprise 30 per cent recycled silver and bronze while the ribbons are made from 50 per cent recycled PET. Meanwhile, the gold medals are completely free of mercury. The Olympic medal design includes the traditional laurel leaf while the Paralympic prizes feature engravings representing the “seeds of courage, persistence and development of the athletes.” As is the tradition, the reverse side of the medal displays an etching of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. Athletes who make it onto the Olympic podium will receive their medal in a sustainably sourced wooden box along with a sculpture of the Rio 2016 logo. Commemorative gold, silver, bronze and golden bronze medals will be available to buy. The podiums are made from wood and adorned with foliage in keeping with the natural “Look” of the Games. The dress to be worn by those presenting the medals have been designed by Rio local, Andrea Marques, and it incorporates spring-inspired colours, prints and pure cotton into her design. “The basic idea was that the clothes translate the idea of Rio as a welcoming city,” she said.