When Paralympic medals spoke to visually impaired athletes!
This time around at Rio Paralympic, as the medals were being awarded, it was commonly observed that visually impaired athletes brought their medals close to their ears, shook them, and smiled. For the first time ever, each medal made a different sound.
Each of the 2,642 medals awarded to the Rio winners has a device embedded in them that creatively uses tiny steel balls to create a unique sound when shaken, giving them an exclusive feeling.
"The bronze medals have 16 steel balls and make the lowest sound. The silver medals have 20 balls and the golds have 28, producing the loudest noise. All of the medals also have the words 'Rio 2016 Paralympic Games' written on them Braille," according to Rio Paralympic website, who had a beautiful Instagram post to share too.
The medals are made with special care. Those working at the mint that has produced medals for both the Olympics and Paralympics take great pride in their design. They hope the athletes will love their creation.
"It will be a feeling of conquest for sure. We work hard and then to see it on the athletes' chests is a big deal because very few of them are going to win, a lot will compete and just a few will reach that, so this is a big deal for us too. To know that the medals are highly valued," Nelson Neto Carneiro, an engraver at the mint told International Business Times.
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