I was surfing the news and came across this, I had to blog about it.
TURIN, Italy --No, athletes at the Winter Games are not being rewarded with gold doughnuts -- it just looks that way.
The new medal design for the Olympics in Turin, unveiled Wednesday, features a hole in the center of the metal disc.
While it may appear as though biathletes have been using them for target practice, the medals are actually meant to represent the open space of an Italian piazza, or city square.
The medals have the Turin logo on one side and images from various sports and disciplines on the other. The red silk ribbon that goes around the winner's neck is looped through the hole in the center.
"They are marvelous medals, they represent what we expect from Italy -- creativity," said Jean-Claude Killy, chairman of the IOC coordination commission.
Eight people collaborate in the 10-hour process to make each medal. Some 1,026 medals will be made for the Olympics, plus 648 Paralympics medals and 35,000 commemorative medals. The Turin Games run from Feb. 10 to Feb 26.
I am not sure I get the hole represents an Italian Piazza. The piazzas I have seen have been closer to either the form of a square or rectangle. Never round. Unless, you want to call the new EU mandated traffic roundabouts being installed all over Italy, piazzas. Anyway, a circle does look better than a square. Which is most likely the reason they chose a circle. But, if I can add my opinion, hey, it is my blog, I can say what I want. This gold medal has an uncanny resemblance to the gettone (tokens) I used to buy to put in the kiddy rides along the lungomare in Chiavari. I wonder if I am the only one in Italy that has the courage to say that? Those silly rides can be found in any city all over Italy and so can those gettone.
You know what it also reminds me of? Now this is going back, and maybe only Sam's family will get it. Is my niece Caitlin, who I spoke about in my previous post. When she was a baby and teething, she was a misery. Sonja, her mom, would put on a rope one of these Finnish hard round biscuits, similar to a pretzel, and hang it around her neck. Caitlin, when she pleased, would chew on the pretzel thing all day long much to her mom's relief. See, where I am going here with this? I wonder how many other Finnish moms did the same thing with these teething biscuits and their fussy teething babies and if they have seen the new Olympic Medal design?
If you read my prior post about the weather, it is now thundering and lightning! Can the weather get anyworse?
A tardi!
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