History shines behind glitter of medals

3,000 Olympic medals are ready and the image of the goddess of victory on the medals comes from the fifth century statue of Nike by Paeonius.

Thirteen kilos of pure gold, a ton of silver, and a ton of bronze have been struck into 3,000 Olympic medals that are now hot off the press for the Athens Games' award ceremonies.

“They are all ready, and they have a decidedly Greek look, featuring the image of Nike,” said Nikos Konstandopoulos, president of Efsimon, the company that sponsors Olympic medal production.

The image of the winged goddess of victory on the medals comes from the fifth century BC marble statue of Nike by the sculptor Paeonius. The most famous Nike is the Nike of Samothrace in the Louvre.

The reverse side shows the flame from the Olympic flame torch relay, a quotation from the Greek lyric poet Pindar, the Athens 2004 emblem, and the name of the sport.

The striking of the medals starts with an artist creating a three dimensional model from the chosen design, Konstandopoulos said.

"Then we use high accuracy machines to make a mould, and powerful presses transfer the images on both sides of the discs of pure silver or bronze that will become the medal, after they have been finished by specialist craftsmen."

Gold medals are made from finished silver medals that then get coated with a deep layer of gold in a certified Swiss laboratory.

"Every gold medal uses up exactly six grams of gold," Konstandopoulos said, making them worth around $83 a time but far, far more in marketing and personal terms.

Athletes from 202 countries compete for the coveted medals in 301 events in the August 13-29 Games.

HT Image