(c) Can Stock Photo
I am sure these days most of you readers surely been indulged in the colours of Olympic Games taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Some like me must be following only major sports star events or events where my own countrymen are participating.
It is indeed a big event as more than 11 thousand athletes are participating from over 200 plus countries in 28 Olympic sports this year. In total 306 sets of medal to be won in total across these sports.
However have you ever wondered, what will be the amount of metal and medal value for these numbers of medals? I mean, it is comparatively easier & economical to distribute 306 silver and bronze medals, but what about gold?
The name of the Olympic sport is written on the medal. Basis the approval from Olympic committee each host city gets the chance to design the medals to be awarded and the host city has the responsibility for coining the Olympic medals. As per the rules of International Olympic Committee the medals are circular in shape and have to have a diameter of minimum 60 mm and thickness of minimum 3 mm.
So, this seems like too much of Gold considering 306 gold medals to be awarded, right? Well actually that’s not the case. Olympic gold medals use to be real solid gold at some point of time. However, over a decade the plated medals are in use at the Olympic stage. The Stockholm Olympics of 1912 witnessed a solid gold medal to be awarded for the last time. (Probably the effect of World wars & scarcity of precious metals)
- The Modern Olympic gold medals are actually real solid Gold plated sterling silver medals. It is composed of silver of at least .925 grades, plated with 6 grams of gold.
- Silver medal is also .925 grades silver
- And the bronze medal is mostly copper with some tin and Zinc
However Gold medals were not always been available as prize at the Olympics, in some cases cups & trophies and some other articles were distributed as the prize.
