This info is from Wikipedia as well as Tyler Durden's post on Zero Hedge: "The IOC dictates the physical properties of the medals and has the final decision about the finished design. Specifications for the medals are developed along with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) hosting the Games, though the IOC has brought in some set rules:[7][8] Recipients: The top three competitors receive medals Shape: Usually circular, featuring an attachment for a chain or ribbon Diameter: A minimum of 60 mm Thickness: A minimum of 3 mm Material: First place: It is composed of 550 grams of silver (at least 9251000 grade) covered with 6 grams of pure gold (worth approximately $800 as of July 29,2012). Second place: It has the same composition as the first place medal without the gilding (worth approximately $500 as of July 29, 2012). [9] Third place: It is mostly copper with some tin and zinc (worth approximately $3).[10] "As every Olympic athlete knows, size matters. The London 2012 medals are the largest ever in terms of both weight and diameter - almost double the medals from Beijing. However, just as equally well-known is that quality beats quantity and that is where the current global austerity, coin-clipping, devaluation-fest begins. The 2012 gold is 92.5 percent silver, 6.16 copper and... 1.34 percent gold, with IOC rules specifying that it must contain 550 grams of high-quality silver and a whopping 6 grams of gold. The resulting medallion is worth about $500. For the silver medal, the gold is replaced with more copper, for a $260 bill of materials. The bronze medal is 97 percent copper, 2.5 percent zinc and 0.5 percent tin. Valued at about $3, you might be able to trade one for a bag of chips in Olympic park if you skip the fish." Links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_medal http://www.zerohedge.com/news/austerity-olympics-each-gold-medal-contains-134-gold
The London 2012 medals are the largest ever in terms of both weight and diameter - almost double the medals from Beijing First place: It is composed of 550 grams of silver with IOC rules specifying that it must contain 550 grams of high-quality silver and a whopping 6 grams of gold If you read these 3 sentences isnt it impossible that the china coins were half the size? Reason being they would not be over the IOC 550 grams of silver they must contain... HMMMM headache! Unless the IOC changes its SPEC rules every olympics? FARKED
