LONDON 2012 PARALYMPIC MEDALS

The medals of the London 2012 Paralympic Games

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Get to know more about the London 2012 Paralympic medals

The London 2012 medals feature elements from history important to both Paralympians and Olympians. The reverse side of the medal has engraved textures taken from “The Nike of Paionios,” moulded directly from the plaster cast of the statue itself.

Design Elements of the Medals

The front side of the London 2012 Paralympic medals have a close-up depiction of the wings of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. While Olympic medals have featured the goddess of victory since Athens 2004, the London 2012 Paralympic medals focus on her wings as a symbol of the then Paralympic motto “Spirit in Motion”. The updated Paralympic Movement symbol is engraved on this side of the medal but this version didn't have the IPC acronym.

The reverse side of the medal represents “The Heart of Victory”. The medal shows the area close to the heart of the Greek goddess of victory. This design choice reflects how London 2012 wanted to share the importance of inclusion and togetherness with athletes and spectators.

What makes the London 2012 Paralympic medals even more unique is that the engraved texture on the medal was taken directly from the actual statue of “The Nike of Paionios” that is exhibited in Greece.

Medallists were able to bring home a historical piece of art. The plaster cast of the statue from the British Museum Cast Collection was used in the making of the medal. The original statue can be viewed in The Museum of Olympia in Greece.

The rim of the medal reads “London 2012 Paralympic Games” in both braille and English. The designer of the London 2012 medals, Lin Cheung, created a medal with tactile elements that made it appealing to touch and accessible for people with vision impairments, as well as deeply rooted symbolism that bridged history with modernity. Lin Cheung, a jewellery artist and senior lecturer in jewellery design at the Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, London, said she was inspired by the endurance, focus and achievements of Paralympic athletes when creating the medals.

The Physical Attributes of the London 2012 Medals

The ore of the medals was supplied by Rio Tinto, a sponsor for the London 2012 Games, mined at their Kennecott Utah Copper mine in the United States and the Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia. The medals have a diameter of 8.5 centimetres and a thickness of 0.8 centimetre, with the gold medal weighing 436 grams.