TOKYO, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The designer of the medals that will be presented to the winners at next year's Tokyo Olympics on Thursday explained the concepts of the design, saying he aims to convey the concepts of "diversity" and "harmony".
Junichi Kawanishi, 51, held a press conference at the organizing committee office in Tokyo a day after the organizers unveiled the gold, silver and bronze medals during the one-year countdown ceremony.
The medals feature Nike, the mythical Greek goddess of victory, as stipulated by the International Olympic Committee. On the back, the medals bear the Olympic rings and the Tokyo 2020 logo inside a swirl design.
The design of the medals is simple, but the curves in various angles make the medals three-dimensional and cause them to shine from any direction.
Kawanishi said he had difficulty perfecting the swirl but received help from the Japan Mint, which will produce the medals.
There are three key concepts behind the design of the medals, he said. The first is light and shine, the second is energy while the third is harmony through diversity. When the athlete holds a medal at the podium, the light will be scattered in all directions for spectators.
"I expressed the athletes' energy, my hopes for them to shine, and diversity and harmony," the designer said.
Approximately 5,000 medals will be made from recycled metals extracted from mobile phones and other small electronic devices. The organizers said they will aim to complete production by May 2020.
