Toronto 2015 Shows the Medals of the Pan and Parapan American Championships
The Organizing Committee of the Pan American and Parapan American Games used the Japanese technique in making the objects.
This Tuesday, March 3rd, the gold, silver and bronze medals that will be awarded at the Pan American and Parapan American Games Toronto 2015 have been shown to the public. The launch ceremony was held at the Royal Museum from Ontario.
According to the Organizing Committee of the event, each medal is unique. That's because the making of objects used a Japanese technique called "mokume gane", common in jewelry, which uses different alloyed metals combinations.
There were 4,283 medals produced. The material that makes up the object is 100% from the Americas: the copper came from the Zaldivar Mine from Chile, the silver from Pueblo Viejo Mine located in the Dominican Republic, and the gold from the Hemlo Mine in Ontario, Canada.
The person in charge of leading the presentation was the Canadian swimmer Mark Tewksbury, Olympic 100m backstroke champion in Barcelona in 1992, and he recalled the importance of medals for the athletes.
"I still feel proud of my medal in Barcelona. These medals of Toronto are works of art and reflect the efforts, dedication and the difficult path the athletes had to walk before putting them around their necks," he said.
The Pan American Games will be held from July 10th and 26th, while the Parapan will be held from August 7th to August 15th.
