The medals were revealed by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak and Sochi 2014 President and chief executive Dmitry Chernyshenko.

Both the Olympic and Paralympic medals feature a "Patchwork Quilt" which is a mosaic of national designs from the various cultures and ethnicities of Russia.

They have been crafted to depict the landscape of Sochi from the snowy mountain tops to the sunny beaches of the Black Sea coast while the unusual combination of metal and polycarbonate has been used to create a sense of lightness.

The Olympic medals weigh between 460 and 531 grams, while the Paralympic medals weigh between 585 and 686 grams due to their slightly differing designs.

Each medal is 10 millimetres thick and 100 millimetres in diameter.

"We are delighted with the stunning quality of these medals," Kozak said.

"They are truly beautiful and a fine prize for the world's top Olympic and Paralympic athletes."

The front of the Olympic medals features the Olympic Rings, while the reverse contains the name of the competition in English and the Sochi 2014 logo.

Similarly, the front of the Paralympic medals features the Paralympic Agitos, with the reverse displaying the competition name in English and the Sochi 2014 logo.


The name of Games is also engraved onto both medal's rim in Russian, English and French.

In addition, the Paralympic medals contain inscriptions in braille for visually impaired athletes.

"I'm sure these great awards have already gone down in history and will find their heroes," Chernyshenko said.

"I'm sure they will find lots of Russian owners, but I wish all foreign competitors well too."

About 1,300 medals in total will be manufactured for the Sochi 2014 Games.

The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics will take place from February 7 to 23, while the Winter Paralympics will take place from March 7 to 16.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
May 2013: Sochi 2014 medals to be unveiled this month
May 2013: Sochi 2014 to produce record number of Olympic and Paralympic medals