Tokyo Olympics 2020: Medals to be made from recycled parts of old electronic products

Tokyo: Medals for the Tokyo Olympics will be made from old smartphones and other electronic products, organisers said on Wednesday, as they look to give the Games an environmentally friendly hue. “Medals made with recycled metals from discarded mobile phones and other gadgets can be a symbol of sustainability and public participation,” spokeswoman Hikariko Ono told reporters. [caption id=“attachment_3097504” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike poses with Tokyo 2020 Olympics emblem. Reuters[/caption] Ono said details, such as whether some or all of the medals will use recycled metals, will be decided later. Recycled medals have been used for the Games since the Vancouver Winter Games in 2010, Ono said. Gold and bronze medals using recycled metals were also made for this year’s Rio Olympics, she said. It remains unclear whether the use of recycled metals would be cost efficient, though officials are keen to rein in soaring costs. Representatives from the International Olympic Committee, Tokyo organizers, the city government and Japan’s central government have formed a committee that is looking into various cost reductions, including moving three sports from planned new venues to existing ones. Experts have said that the total Games budget could hit an eye-watering $30 billion – four times the initial estimate and almost triple that of the 2012 London Olympics.