I'll jump right to the point -- there’s no such thing as a “gold” medal, at least not at the upcoming Rio Olympics. Second-place finishers get silver medals and oddly enough, so do the winners, albeit theirs are plated in a tiny amount of gold.
The medals to be given to champions at the 2016 Olympics will weigh just over a pound, so to make them entirely from gold would have cost about $23,500 in material, each! By taking the silver medals and then plating them in a tiny amount of Brazilian gold, the actual value of the metal inside of those medals is about $600.
The gold is certified to have a certain amount of purity and is considered very high quality. The silver and “bronze” medals are largely made from recycled materials. And by the way, the bronze medals are not really bronze, but are made in part from the same copper that goes into the Brazilian coin.
The last series of Olympic medals to be made of solid gold were awarded at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. Olympic Gold medals are required to be made from at least 92.5% silver, and must contain a minimum of 6 grams of gold.
From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),
Paul J. Staso
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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek
Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:
- United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
- Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
- Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
- Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
- The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
- Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
- Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
- Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
- Some Cycling Moments From The Past
