Tokyo unveils 2020 Olympic medals made from old gadgets

By Michael Grothaus

The 2020 Olympics that take place in Tokyo start just one year from today. In honor of that, the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee has revealed the designs of their Olympic medal.

All three versions of the medals–gold, silver, and bronze–are 85 mm in diameter and measure 7.7 mm at their thinnest part and 12.1 mm at their thickest. Each gold medal uses more than 6 grams of gold plating on a pure silver base. Silver medals are made entirely from pure silver, and bronze medals are made from a red brass alloy, which is 95% copper and 5% zinc.

But all medals also sport another cool feature: They’re all made from the metals reclaimed from old gadgets, such as smartphones and computers. Using metals extracted from old gadgets was made possible because of a two-year campaign that began in April 2017 that urged the public to donate their unneeded electronics so their materials could be put to better use. Showing off the medals for the first time, the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee said, “Manufactured from recycled mobile phones and small electronic devices, these medals are 100% sustainable and would not be possible without the generosity of the people of Japan.”

And here’s how the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee describes the medals themselves:

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.

You can check out the launch video of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics medals below.

 
 
 

 

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