What is the design of the medal for the Winter Olympics 2022 and what are they made of?
What will the medal box-set look like for the Beijing 2022 games, and what are the Chinese motives that inspired the medal design and the materials used.
The medal design revelation for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Beijing happened today, also commencing the 100 days countdown for the Games opening.
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The Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng was accompanied by the Olympic champions Yang Yang and Zhang Yufei in unveiling the Olympic medals at a ceremony in Beijing.
Named "Tongxin," meaning "Together as one," the medals are highlighted by five concentric rings embracing the traditional Chinese philosophy of concordance between heaven, earth, and human beings. The rings also symbolize the Olympic rings, engraved in the inside circle, and the Olympic spirit fusing the world through sport.
The medal design
The enclosing grooved rings are engraved with the Games' official title, "XXIV Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022," along with cloud and snowflake ornaments, with the outer ring free of decoration.
The opposite side has the Beijing 2022 logo at its center, with the official name of the Games carved in Chinese below. The surrounding rings imitate star trails, with 24 dots representing the 24th edition of the Olympic Winter Games. The general picture, which matches a celestial map, carries the wish that athletes reach excellence and glow like stars at the Games.
"The medals' design is an ode to the Olympic spirit that represents the top honor for athletes. Unveiling the design at the 100-day countdown, Beijing is voicing its readiness to welcome the world's best winter sports athletes to reach for the stars at the Olympic Winter Games," said Gao Tian, vice director of BOCOG's culture and ceremonies department.
Indeed, the designers wanted to homage the Beijing 2008 Games and use the identical inspiration from a piece of Chinese jade ware called "Bi," a double jade disc with a circular hole in the center. Just as jade is believed to as an encouraging and priceless embroidery in traditional Chinese culture, the medal is a declaration of honor and unceasing efforts by the athletes.
"The medal carries on the concept of jade from the 2008 Games, which underlines Beijing as the first city to host both summer and winter Olympics. At the same time, concentric circles have an air of togetherness, which signifies people worldwide gathering to enjoy the happiness brought about by the Olympic Games with the understanding between each other," explained Hang Hai, the chief designer and part of the team responsible for the 2008 Olympic medals design.
"When athletes hold the medals in their hands, they will first touch the details of Chinese culture. Then if they look closely, they will see the cloud and snowflake patterns on the obverse side, and the celestial ones on the reverse side," Hang noted.
The medal box set
The medal box features blue lacquer and uses bamboo as the primary material, and tries to capture a combination of Chinese style and sustainability. Lacquer-ware is treated as a ritual object, and bamboo, a highly sustainable plant, represents grandeur and uprightness in Chinese culture.
The medals will be fastened to a silk ribbon, formed with snowflake ornaments, and adorned with the Olympic rings and the Games' name and core graphics.
The Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games will take place from February 4 to 20, followed by the Paralympic Games.