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Unveiling Medals


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I'm hoping that they will unveil the new medals either June or July and maybe it will look like a ski jumper soaring through the air.

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Yea, squarish sounds right, unfortunately.

We were having such a good run of quality Olympic medals for the Winter Games, there hasn't been a bad one since well Calgary.

I doubt it will be rocky though because SLC did the river stone thing.

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Well, so far, I am generally impressed with everything they've done so far. The torch is stunning, the logo has turned out to be just the right aesthetic of the region, the olympic art seem to capture the spirit of the legacy Vancouver wants to communicate so I'm not so concerned about the medal design.....but then again, its Canada your dealing with so disappointments just can't be ruled out entirely. Maybe this will be the second after the spectacular failure of the 2006 torino handover ceremony.

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Well, so far, I am generally impressed with everything they've done so far. The torch is stunning, the logo has turned out to be just the right aesthetic of the region, the olympic art seem to capture the spirit of the legacy Vancouver wants to communicate so I'm not so concerned about the medal design.....but then again, its Canada your dealing with so disappointments just can't be ruled out entirely. Maybe this will be the second after the spectacular failure of the 2006 torino handover ceremony.

What was the spectacular failure in Torino?

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Yea, squarish sounds right, unfortunately.

We were having such a good run of quality Olympic medals for the Winter Games, there hasn't been a bad one since well Calgary.

I doubt it will be rocky though because SLC did the river stone thing.

Well, I can't say I was too too impressed by Turino's golden CDs...

Anyway, I would personally love to see some original material used in the medals, maybe something like fossil wood or amber.

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If they were into incorporate another element into the medal (like the granite of Lillehammer, crystal of Albertville, Nagano's lacquered bit, and Beijing's jade), I would like to see either soapstone (like those native sculptures you find in tourist shops) or a richly grained wood (something that BC is well know for). But yes, expect something like this shape:

vancouver_olympics_pin.jpg

I'd also like VANOC to consider presenting the athletes with little potted trees (maples or firs?) instead of cut flowers. That way, the athlete can plant the tree to forever remind them of their victory and the tree can symbolize a commitment to the environment.

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That shape is very Ilanaaq, 2010 countdown clock, Torch Relay logo, it was very much part of the old brand/look. With the launch of the new brand, everything has gotten less chunky with more flowing lines and detail, but we'll see if that translates into the medals as well.

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What was the spectacular failure in Torino?

The stereotypical and cliched handover segment that was the embarrassment of all of Canada.

Well, I can't say I was too too impressed by Turino's golden CDs...

Anyway, I would personally love to see some original material used in the medals, maybe something like fossil wood or amber.

Torino's medals were architecturally the best, the use of negative space, the flow of the ribbon as an integrated part of the medal and the simple and effective designs imprinted on the medal.

Petrified wood and amber have little connection to BC, petrified wood is only found in any substantial quanities in Alberta and Nunavut and Amber is not found in Canada at all and is more associated with North Europe and the Dominican Republic.

If they were into incorporate another element into the medal (like the granite of Lillehammer, crystal of Albertville, Nagano's lacquered bit, and Beijing's jade), I would like to see either soapstone (like those native sculptures you find in tourist shops) or a richly grained wood (something that BC is well know for). But yes, expect something like this shape:

vancouver_olympics_pin.jpg

I'd also like VANOC to consider presenting the athletes with little potted trees (maples or firs?) instead of cut flowers. That way, the athlete can plant the tree to forever remind them of their victory and the tree can symbolize a commitment to the environment.

Hopefully they keep the shape traditional or slightly off round, that is just ugly.

Nice idea in theory but it would be hard to get the trees to the athletes home nations - living material doesn't make it through customs generally and also there is biodiversity issues, invasive species issues and other issues that arise when taking plants that do not natural occur to new places.

And doesn't the medal symbolize the victory? Planting a tree is not a commitment to the environment, its a one-off that people do it make themselves feel better.

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New Zealanders wouldnt be able o bring a tree into the country... Not that we are expected to win a medal!

I remember the olive crowns that were presented to winners of medals following the Athens olympics had to be fumigated before they were allowed into New Zealand!

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Well, I can't say I was too too impressed by Turino's golden CDs...

The Torino medals, what seemed to somebody here as "golden CD's" , in reality they were inspired by ancient Roman coins of thousands a years ago... :rolleyes:

Please, Canadian schools, some lessons of history and culture here are needed! :angry:

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And what do you know about Canadian history in Italy?

Why is it when someone expresses their personal opinion on the recent Olympics in Greece and Italy, the Greeks and Italians take it as a personal attack? It's just one person's opinion.

Edited by Kendegra
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I very much disliked the Torino medals. I couldn't care if they were meant to symbolize a cultural/historical artifact, my opinion is they are quite ugly and they move away from the traditional look/shape of what a medal should be. The SLC, Athens, and Beijing medals on the other hand were really well done.

I can only hope that VANOC and the Royal Canadian Mint haven't gone for some weird oblong rock shape for our medals.

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I'd also like VANOC to consider presenting the athletes with little potted trees (maples or firs?) instead of cut flowers. That way, the athlete can plant the tree to forever remind them of their victory and the tree can symbolize a commitment to the environment.

In Berlin in 1936, every gold medallist was given a pot with an oak tree seedling -- a tree which is considered typically German. There are quite a few articles on the internet about what happened to the oak trees brought home by US and Canadian athletes (including Jesse Owens):

Jesse's Olympic Oak Trees ...and Where They are Today

Tree Planted by Conibear Shellhouse to Replace "Olympic Oak"

Re-Dedication of USC's 1936 Olympic Tree

Hitler's Tree

quote name='Faster' date='Apr 20 2009, 05:02 AM' post='202699']laurel not olive.

No, the medallists of Athens 2004 received olive wreaths. Laurel wreaths are rather a Roman tradition.

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In Berlin in 1936, every gold medallist was given a pot with an oak tree seedling -- a tree which is considered typically German. There are quite a few articles on the internet about what happened to the oak trees brought home by US and Canadian athletes (including Jesse Owens):

Jesse's Olympic Oak Trees ...and Where They are Today

Tree Planted by Conibear Shellhouse to Replace "Olympic Oak"

Re-Dedication of USC's 1936 Olympic Tree

Hitler's Tree

No, the medallists of Athens 2004 received olive wreaths. Laurel wreaths are rather a Roman tradition.

LOL, great. Another Olympic tradition founded by Adolf Hitler! :D

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Greeks and Italians? :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Oh please, don't derail away from the point. Fact is, you take everything as a personal offense. Not to mention, you view everything from a ethnocentric point of view.

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As long as the medals don't have a maple leaf motif! I mean.........everything about Canada has to be a maple leaf? Why not have an abstract representation of your provincial flower. BTW can anyone post pics of past winter Olympic medals lets compare?

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The IOC website shows the medals for each Olympic Games on their Games section:

Olympic Games List

Just click on a past games to view the respective medals. Winter medals are always different. Sapporo, Sarajevo, and Salt Lake all had irregular, non-circular shapes. Albertville, Lillehammer, and Nagano all used a secondary material.

And what's wrong with the maple leaf? Could say the same thing about the American stars on LA and Atlanta graphics. But I doubt it will be a prominent part of the Vancouver design. It doesn't appear that heavily in VANOC branding.

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