With just 52 days before the Rio Games, Olympics officials yesterday "revealed the medal design" for the Summer Olympics and Paralympics, according to Henry Bushnell of YAHOO SPORTS. First- and second-place medals are "mostly composed of silver, with the gold medals coated in a thin layer of gold." Third-place bronze medals are "mostly copper." Yesterday's announcement "is the latest medal design release" since '00, when the first official medals for the Sydney Games "were revealed roughly a month before" the Opening Ceremony (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 6/14). In DC, Kelyn Soong noted designers "opted for a simple look, with one side featuring the Olympic logo with the words 'Rio 2016' surrounded by laurel leaves." The other side "includes an image of Nike, the ancient Greek goddess of victory with Panathinaiko Stadium and the Acropolis in the background." Organizers also "revealed medal presenters' uniforms, designed by Rio-based stylist Andrea Marques, and the Olympic podiums" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 6/14). FOXSPORTS.com's Chris Chase wrote for a country associated with "fun and revelry," the medals are "boring." The reverse side of the medals "is perhaps the most plain since the '92 Olympics in Barcelona." It "features the logo for the Rio Games," and underneath "is the wordmark for the Games on top of the five Olympic rings." The rest of the medal "is bare except for a thin Olympic wreath that borders the circle." The Summer Games medals "have always been more traditional than the Winter ones" (FOXSPORTS.com, 6/14). View a slideshow of the medals on the Rio 2016 Facebook page.
