The Being Winter Olympics 2022 have already started and, many athletes have already started to take home the medals, know more about the design of the medal
But apart from the energetic games, many people have wondered about the medals in the games. How are they made, of what substance they are made, what are they called, and many more questions.
Winter Olympics Beijing 2022: What Is The Design Of The Medal And Material It Is Made Of
First things first, one amazing thing about the medals in the games is that every host gives their own touch of creativity to the design of the medals that are awarded in the games by often combining them with special meaning which makes the awards more special and meaningful to the athletes.
In this edition of the Winter Olympics, there will be 109 medals given to the athletes.
The 2022 Winter Olympics Games medals are known as “Tong Xin,” which means “together as one.”
To decide the design, the organizers said they took ideas and to focus on their country’s tradition and culture to give an influence on the medals.
Since Beijing is a city that hosted the Olympics twice, the organizers decided to include a nod to the 2008 Summer Games in the design.
Lin Cunzhen, who is the director of arts for the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee, stated in an interview that the organizers took ideas from similar design choices used in 2008.
“We used jade into the design of the medals, which is in line with the 2008 Olympic medals. It’s a reflection of Beijing being a two-time Olympic city,” she said.
The use of jade, which is a precious stone, has been always in use since ancient times, Lin told in an interview.
The medals have in it five rings, and carved designs around their perimeters that are based on the traditional Chinese calligraphy. “XXIV Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022” is also engraved on the back along with its Chinese translation.
A surprising fact about the medals is that the gold medal of this mega event is not made up of gold rather; the majority of the medals consist of silver. Only the outer layer is made of real gold. As per the rules, the medals are required to be made up of 92.5 percent silver and only 6g of gold.
Amount Of Prize Money Awarded to The Winning Athletes
Although IOC does not pay athletes the prize money after winning any medal the athletes may receive cash prizes along with the medals through the money provided by the sponsorship and advertising deals.
According to the reports the estimated prize money is around $37,500 for a Gold medal, $22,500 for Silver, and $15,000 for bronze.