Sustainable Medals Highlight Rio's 'New World' - On the Scene

(ATR) Projecting a sustainable, positive image was the impetus behind the design for the Rio 2016 medals.

The gold, silver and bronze Olympic medals feature the Rio 2016 logo wrapped in laurel leaves on one side, with the goddess Nike coming out of Panathinaiko Stadium and the Acropolis in Athens on the reverse. Paralympic medals will feature an innovative devise that lets visually impaired athletes know which medals they are receiving. When athletes shake their winnings, the gold medals will emit the loudest noises, while the bronze medals will be the softest.

For the first time, all Olympic medals will be made from metals that have been extracted from the earth without the use of mercury, highlighting the Games’ commitment to sustainable practices. '

When describing the medals, IOC President Thomas Bach called them the "objects of desire of all the athletes in the world."

"After they can see these beautiful medals I think they will even train harder to make their Olympic dream of a medal come true," Bach said.

In addition to releasing the medals, Rio 2016 shared the Games’ slogan: "A New World." The slogan is meant to represent the changes that the 2016 Olympic have brought to Rio de Janeiro in addition to the better world that is built through sport according to Bach.

"This future of a new, better Rio de Janeiro and of a new, better Brazil is for you, the children and the youth of Brazil," Bach added. "We hope that we can make a contribution to this and this is why I am saying now see you in 52 days for the opening of the first ever Games in South America."

WHO Declaration 'Positive' for Upcoming Games

IOC President Thomas Bach toldAround the Rings that he believes athletes and tourists will not be afraid to come to Rio de Janeiro in the wake of a new World Health Organization declaration.

An emergency panel called by the organization said there was a "very low risk" that the 2016 Olympic Games would accelerate the spread of the Zika virus worldwide. The panel convened after over 200 public health officials wrote to WHO Director General Margaret Chan urging the body to exert pressure on Olympic organizers to postpone or cancel the 2016 Games.

Currently, the WHO says that only pregnant women or women looking to become pregnant should speak with their doctors before travelling to countries affected by the current Zika outbreak.

"The WHO was very clear in its advisement guidelines and they are positive for the Olympic Games," Bach said to ATR. "Therefore I can only suggest to everybody to follow these guidelines of the WHO and to feel very much welcome at the Olympic Games in Rio 2016."

The IOC President is visiting Brazil from June 14-16 to meet acting President Michel Temer and to check in on preparations of the 2016 Olympic project in person for the last time until July. Bach is expected to tour venues and meet with the Rio 2016 operations team tomorrow before visiting Sao Paulo on June 16.

Bach said that even though preparations are expected to "be an effort until the last minute," that there is no cause for concern over the construction of the velodrome, which continues to lag behind schedule.

"All the information which I have got from our experts and everybody tells me that the velodrome will be ready for the Olympic Games," Bach added. "We have great confidence in the preparations of these Olympic Games, the last couple of days and weeks are always the most challenging ones. These games are a project uniting the Brazilians in this moment in time and this is very good for Brazil."

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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