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Headline : Olympic Committee Unveil Tokyo 2020 Medals Made From Recycled Gadgets
Caption : With one year to go until the 2020 Olympics begin, the organising committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games have unveiled the winner's medals which have been made from metals recycled from discarded gadgets.

Tons of scrap metal was recovered from small electronics collected all over the country for the initiative, which it's hoped will help leave a legacy of sustainability around the 2020 games.

The medals were created by Japanese designer Junichi Kawanishi following an open competition.

All 5,000 Tokyo 2020 medals have been manufactured from recycled smartphones and small electronic devices that were donated by the public between April 2017 and March 2019.

More than 78,985 tonnes of used mobile phones and other gadgets were collected by municipal authorities, with a total of 6.21 million used mobile phones handed in at collection centres. Altogether these yielded 32 kilograms (kg) of gold, 3,500 kg of silver and 2,200 kg of bronze.

As per tradition, the medals are fronted with Nike – the Greek goddess of victory – standing in front of the Panathinaikos Stadium. The reverse side features a chiselled, choppy design around the medal's circumference, which encircles a raised, pebble-like centre. This is engraved with the chequered Tokyo 2020 "ichimatsu moyo" emblem and the Olympic five rings symbol.

Each medal measures 85 millimetres (mm) in diameter, 7.7mm at their thinnest part and 12.1mm at their thickest.

Kawanishi's proposal was selected as part of a competition that drew entries from more than 400 professional designers and design students.

"It is a great honour that my design was selected for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Medal," said Kawanishi. "I never dreamed that the design I submitted only as a memorial to this lifetime event would be actually selected."

"With their shining rings, I hope the medals will be seen as paying tribute to the athletes' efforts, reflecting their glory, and symbolising friendship," he added.

Kawanishi designed the medals to resemble rough stones that have been newly polished, and now "shine with light and brilliance".

Set at varied angles, each layer in the medal's choppy outer composition reflects light differently, to symbolise the energy and commitment of the athletes and their supporters.

According to the designer, the bright reflections also signify the "warm glow of friendship".

Kawanishi wanted the medals to symbolise diversity, and to represent the concept that in order to achieve glory, athletes have to strive for victory on a daily basis.

Manufactured from dyed Japanese ash wood, the medal cases have been handmade by Japanese craftsmen using a blend of traditional and modern techniques, granting each one a distinct pattern.
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