What are some facts about Olympic medals? Author: Elena Trumbo Website: http://www.ezTrophy.com Added: Sat, Jul 8, 2006 0:16:28 Category: Trophies Questions

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One of interesting facts about the Olympic medal is its unique design. It is different from the medals that we are used to seeing in graduation exercises and sports events, and each set of Olympics designs its own medal.

For instance, medals for the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City were shaped like river rocks, representing the American West. The description of the front and rear part of the medal is as follows:

• The front side of the 2002 Olympic medal shows an athlete coming from a background of flame and carrying a torch, symbolizing the elements of nature. The words “Light the Fire Within” are etched into the medal to show the passion of the athlete to win the victory and greatness. The Olympic Rings and the Roman numeral at the bottom of the ribbon that identifies the particular Olympics are the last features you will find on the front of the medal.

• The back of the medal shows Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, holding a small victory leaf, which symbolizes the laurel wreath given to the ancient Olympic winners. Within Nike's embrace is an illustration of the different venues of the games. These characteristics made it one of the most unique and customized medals ever manufactured.

Even the boxes that hold the medals are unique. They bear a rectangular medallion, gold, silver, or bronze, with the inset of the Olympic rings on the front. The box is made of a single piece of walnut wood.

The creation of the medals requires 15 different processes, and the completion takes about 2,175 hours of work. Also, tons of pressure is applied to transfer the finished medal design to the precious metals. The average hours of handcrafting the medals are: for gold, average of 19.65 hours per medal; for silver, average of 18.30 hours per medal; and for bronze, average of 18.45 hours per medal.

See also: Trophies | Awards | Olympic+Medal | Medals

About the Author:
Elena Trumbo answers frequently asked trophies questions at PrettyGreatAnswers.com.

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