25/08/2021
The Tokyo 2020 Paralympics have officially opened and I am very happy that Australia is in first place on the medal tally after day 1. The design of the medals caught my eye and after reading about the extra inclusive design features, that warmed my heart.
Medal Designer: Sakiko Matsumoto.
The medal design is centred around the motif of a traditional Japanese fan, depicting the Paralympic Games as the source of a fresh new wind blowing through the world as well as a shared experience connecting diverse hearts and minds.
Motifs on the leaves of the fan symbolise Japan’s captivating and life-giving natural environment in the form of rocks, flowers, trees, leaves, and water. These are applied with a variety of techniques, manufactured from recycled precious metals extracted from mobile phones and other electronic devices, producing a textured surface that makes the medals compelling to touch.
To help those with vision impairments recognise the different medals by touch, a series of circular indentations have been included on the side of the medals for the first time in Paralympic history. One indentation represents gold, two distinguishes silver and three identifies bronze. Braille letters also spell out “Tokyo 2020” on the medals’ face -
King M. Rakic
-Advocate, Focussing On Abilities.
-2 time International Bronze Medallist.
-Artist
