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Here's what the 2016 Rio Olympic medals look like

Less than two months ahead of opening day for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, the gold, silver and bronze medals have been unveiled.

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"To the victors go these spoils," the official Twitter account for the games captioned images of the front and back of each of the three medals.

The medals for the Olympic and Paralympic Games were revealed Tuesday at an event in Barra Olympic Park.

"Today marks the start of the final countdown to the first Olympic Games to be staged in South America," International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said Tuesday.

The reveal, 52 days before the Opening Ceremony, is the closest date to the ceremony that Olympic medals have been unveiled since the Sydney 2000 Olympics, when the medals were revealed one month before the games began.

 

 

According to Rio 2016, the medals "have been made with sustainability at their heart."

The gold medals are free of mercury, and recycled materials comprise 30 percent of the silver and bronze medals. The ribbons for the medals were made from recycled plastic bottles and other materials. The cases that hold the medals were made from wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
In total, 812 gold, 812 silver and 864 bronze medals were crafted.
The front of each medal features the Rio 2016 logo with surrounding laurel leaves. The leaves represent the connection between nature and Olympians. The back of the medals features an image of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, with the Panathinaiko Stadium and the Acropolis in the background.
Each winning athlete's event is etched on the edge of the medal.

For Paralympians, visually impaired winners can shake their medals to sound off a noise-maker inside the medal. Gold medals make the loudest noise, while silver and bronze make quieter noises. "Rio 2016" is also etched in braille.

 

 

 

All Olympians and Paralympians who perform well enough to make it to the podium will be awarded with other prizes.

Rio officials also unveiled the design of the podiums to be used at the Olympics and Paralympics Tuesday. The podiums were made from wood and other organic materials to celebrate the tropical nature of Brazil. They can be reused as furniture after the Games.

The slogan for the Rio Olympics is centered on the idea of "a new world," in which all people celebrate difference cultures and come together in unity.