Rio Olympic winners will get environment friendly medals

The athletes in the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will be given medals that benefit from an innovative design, made from environmentally friendly materials, including recycled metal.

The idea, pioneered by the Rio 2016 design department, was turned into reality by the Brazilian Mint, who manufacture all the country's currency, Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

It also produced the medals for the Rio 2007 Pan-American Games and the Rio 2011 Military World Games. For Rio 2016, the Mint produced 5,300 medals, with each weighing around 500 grams.

As per tradition, the medals have on one side the Rio 2016 logo and the five Olympic rings surrounded by a laurel wreath while the Greek goddess of victory, Nike, is in effigy on the other side.

The Paralympic medals will also contain the phrase "Rio 2016 Olympic Games" inscribed in Braille.

Furthermore, Paralympic athletes will also contains small bells inside them, allowing visually impaired athletes to "hear" their medals. The gold medals will have a louder sound, while the silver and bronze medals will be slightly weaker.

The theme of sustainability will also stretch to the medal presentation boxes, which have been made out of certified wood, coming from plantations that have proven to be environmentally sustainable and socially responsible.

The podiums themselves have also been constructed by organic materials and will be repurposed as furniture after the Games.