Saint Petersburg, Russia – The Olympic and Paralympic medals that will be awarded to athletes at the Sochi 2014 Games starting next February were unveiled at a cermony on Thursday. Games CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko chaired the presentation in Saint Petersburg that was attended by International Olympic Committee co-ordination commission member Jean-Claude Killy.
For a full gallery of ceremony and medal photos, please visit the GamesBids.com Facebook Photo Gallery
According to a Sochi 2014 press release “the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic medals are unique and feature the Sochi 2014 ‘Patchwork Quilt’ – a mosaic of national designs from the various cultures and ethnicities of the Russian Federation.
“The medals have been carefully crafted to depict the landscape of Sochi from the sun’s rays reflecting through the snowy mountain tops onto the sandy beaches of the Black Sea coast. These contrasts in Russia’s natural landscape are embodied in the medals and will be an everlasting souvenir for the champions.
“The unusual combination of metal and polycarbonate lends to the medals a sense of lightness and distinctive beauty.
“The front of the medal features the Olympic rings. The reverse contains the name of the competition in English, and the logo of the Sochi 2014 Games. The official name of the Games in Russian, English and French is engraved on the medal’s rim.”
A record number of 1,300 medals will be made for the Games, each one takes 18 hours to craft.
Sochi 2014 Olympic medals weigh between 460 and 531 grams, and the Paralympic medals – between 585 and 686 grams, due to their design peculiarities. Each medal is 10 mm thick and 100 mm in diameter.
The Sochi 2014 Olympic Games open February 7, 2014.
