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Medal Design Unveiled for 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games
Information provided by Disabled World - Published: 2009-01-30
The 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games unveiled the highly anticipated athlete award designs for the upcoming World Winter Games.
The designs, created by World Winter Games Director of Brand Management, Joan Scofield, incorporate patterns and elements of the signature snowflake from the World Winter Games logo, as well as the ‘look’ of the Games through bold color palates. The athletes will be awarded either medals or ribbons in their sports and events throughout the World Winter Games.
“We look forward to seeing the genuine look of joy, pride and accomplishment on the athletes’ faces when the awards are presented during competition at the Games,” said Heather Hill, VP of Marketing and Communications for the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games. “This is something our athletes will be proud to wear back to their home countries as a symbol of their achievements and triumphs during their time in Idaho.”
“Special Olympics medals are a sacred symbol of accomplishment and pride for Special Olympics athletes throughout the world,” shared Lee Todd, Chief of World Games. “These awards not only show the skill and talent of our athletes, but represent victory in a life-long battle against misunderstanding.”
More than 3,500 medals will be given throughout the World Winter Games. Special Olympics is unique in the fact that they use a process called divisioning for competition. Competing athletes and teams of the World Winter Games will all undergo divisioning which divides athletes and teams into competition divisions based upon their ability, age and sex. A fair and equitable division is one in which all participants, bases on performance records, have a reasonable chance to excel.
The medals are 24k gold and nickel plate finished and feature a satin finish with raised, high polished logos on each side. The hand struck medallions from hardened steel dies use one-thousand tons of -MORE-pressure to strike both sides of the medals. A special trim tool was created to make the medallion rectangular and they are hand polished one piece at a time.
“As an 18 year sponsor and licensee of Special Olympics, we are honored to help celebrate the achievements of Special Olympics athletes around the globe”, said Roger Mashore, President and COO of MTM Recognition, sponsor of the World Games medals and ribbons.
MTM has sponsored the World Games medals and ribbons for Special Olympics since the 1991 International Games. In addition to medals and ribbons, MTM also supports the design, sculpting and manufacturing of the custom torch for the Law Enforcement Torch Run Final LegTM. MTM is headquartered in Oklahoma City, OK and is the largest and most diverse awards and jewelry manufacturer and distributor in North America, specializing in corporate and sports recognition.
Reference: The 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games will be held in Idaho, USA, 7-13 February 2009 and nearly 2,500 athletes from more than 100 countries are expected to compete. Surpassing the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games in athlete numbers and participating nations, the World Winter Games will be the largest multi-day winter sporting event ever held in Idaho. Competition will take place in seven winter sports – Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Figure Skating, Floor Hockey, Snowboarding, Snowshoeing and Speed Skating. Competition and other activities will take place in communities and venues throughout Idaho including but not limited to Boise, Sun Valley and McCall. For more information, visit www.2009WorldGames.org
Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Special Olympics provides people with intellectual disabilities continuing opportunities to realize their potential, develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage and experience joy and friendship. Visit Special Olympics at www.specialolympics.org
- This web page is from the Disabled World 2009 Special Olympics Idaho section which provides: Information on the 2009 special olympics events and games in Boise Idaho for persons with a disability.
