The
Victory Medals 2000
The Medal
Ceremonies Sub-Program promoted
a competition to select a design for the Olympic victory medals. In
July
1998, invitations were sent to 18 prominent artists, sculptors,
jewellery
designers and design students but entry was open to all. Four months
later,
contestants submitted their designs on paper together with actual size
replicas that were judged by a panel of six experts. The unanimous
choice
was the design of Polish-born sculptor Woijciech Pietranik, whose
portfolio
included coins designed für the Royal Australian Mint.
The medals were 68
mm in diameter, 3 mm thick
at the rim and 5 mm thick at the highest point of the relief.
The
obverse of the Sydney Olympic medals featured the requisite subject of
Nike the Goddess of victory, holding a wreath overhead with two palm
fronds
wrapped in her left hand. She was seated beside a Grecian urn and below
her were sprigs of wattle, the Austrailian national flower. Beside Nike
were the traditional Cassioli stadium representation, and a chariot
pulled
by four horses. The reverse depicted the Sydney Opera House and Sydne`s
futuristic Olympic Torch. The five raised Olympic rings punctuated the
centre, and the name of the event was engraved on the outer rim.
Winning
athletes were able to have their name engraved on the obverse side,
where
space had been allowed for that purpose. |
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Copies of medals:
Gold:
750
Silver:
750
Bronze: 780
The 750
gold medals were 99.99 per cent pure
solid silver with 5 gm gold plating, the 750 silver medals were 99.99
per
cent pure solid silver, and the 780 bronze medals were 99 per cent
bronze
with one per cent silver. The medals were struck at the Royal
Australian
Mint in Canberra and the Perth Mint.
All Sydney
2000 medals were hung on blue ribbons
made by the Woolmark Corporation and bore the legend "Sydney 2000" in
silver
embroidered lettering, as well as the SOCOG fluid energy look.
(Source
document:
Official Report
2000, page 150)
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Thank you André for the
images
