Making of Rio 2016 Olympic medals: From recycled mirrors, X-ray plates to ultimate prize
[caption id=“attachment_2902796” align=“alignnone” width=“940”]  The Rio 2016 Olympic medals pictured at the Casa da Moeda do Brasil (Brazilian Mint). (REUTERS/Sergio Moraes)[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_2902794” align=“alignnone” width=“940”]  The Rio 2016 Olympic medal for men’s volleyball. (REUTERS/Sergio Moraes)[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_2902778” align=“alignnone” width=“940”] )
The Rio 2016 Olympic medals pictured at the Casa da Moeda do Brasil (Brazilian Mint). (REUTERS/Sergio Moraes)
)
The Rio 2016 Olympic medal for men’s volleyball. (REUTERS/Sergio Moraes)
)
The first step: A sculptress from the Brazilian Mint works on the Olympic medals at her computer. The 500-gram (17.6-ounce) Olympic gold medals that Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps and other athletes will be competing for in Rio are nearly 99 percent silver. They contain just 1.2 percent gold, mostly used as plating. (REUTERS/Sergio Moraes)
)
Craftsman Nelson Carneiro works on the Olympic medal mold. The medals are the most sustainable in Olympic history. Much of the silver is recycled from old mirrors and X-ray plates. The gold is free of mercury, which is often used to separate gold from ore and can poison local ecosystems if not carefully disposed of. (REUTERS/Sergio Moraes)
)
A worker handles plates while preparing the medals. Nike, the winged goddess of victory in Ancient Greece, is minted on one side below the five Olympic rings, while the discipline for which the medal has been won is engraved along its edge. The other side bears the Rio 2016 logo. (REUTERS/Sergio Moraes)
)
A worker pours molten metal into a mold. “It’s a sense of great satisfaction that our work will be worn on the chests of athletes who have given everything to win,” said craftsman Nelson Neto Carneiro, who has worked at the mint for over 40 years. (REUTERS/Sergio Moraes)
)
)
Gold-plated Olympic and Paralympic medals being taken out of their molds. (REUTERS/Sergio Moraes)
)
A worker varnishes an Olympic medal after it has been extracted it from its molds. (REUTERS/Sergio Moraes)
)
Finishing touches: A worker prepares a Paralympic medal. (REUTERS/Sergio Moraes)
)
)
The finished product: Gold-plated Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic medals. Ask athletes what goes into Olympic gold medals, and they will likely say sweat and years of training. For Brazil’s National Mint the answer is simpler: recycled silver. (REUTERS/Sergio Moraes)
WWE SummerSlam 2025 Night 2 results: Cody Rhodes beats John Cena in wild title match
Brock Lesnar's return headlines Night Two of WWE Summerslam Cody Rhodes defeats John Cena to become the Undisputed WWE Champion Becky Lynch defeats Lyra Valkyria to stay Women’s Intercontinental Champion.
More Impact Shorts "Charlie Kirk, shot dead in Utah, once said gun deaths are 'worth it' to save Second Amendment")
 "From governance to tourism, how Gen-Z protests have damaged Nepal")
 "Did Russia deliberately send drones into Poland’s airspace?")
 "Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages: Qatar PM after Doha strike")
 "Charlie Kirk, shot dead in Utah, once said gun deaths are 'worth it' to save Second Amendment")
 "From governance to tourism, how Gen-Z protests have damaged Nepal")
 "Did Russia deliberately send drones into Poland’s airspace?")
 "Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages: Qatar PM after Doha strike")
Top Shows
