The winners' medals for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics were revealed Wednesday, exactly one year before the event's opening ceremony. And they feature an unlikely design quirk: The medals will be made using old cellphones and other electronics.
In 2017, the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee launched its"Everyone's Medal" campaign, which called on citizens to donate devices that could be stripped of their constituent metals. The resulting medals will be presented at both the Olympics and Paralympics, which begin in July and August next year, respectively.
According to International Olympic Committee guidelines, silver medals must contain a minimum of a minimum of 92.5% silver, although Tokyo 2020's will be made of pure silver. Gold medals are, in fact, also made largely from silver, though they must each be plated with at least 6 grams of pure gold.