Mine to Medals

For some this British Museum exhibition may be as close as they'll get to an Olympic gold medal - despite their best endeavours. Mine to Medals: the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games medals shows the discs designed by British artist David Watkins that will be earned, through sweat and years of hard training, by the winning atheletes in the 2012 Olympic Games. This display, which is part of the Cultural Olympiad, tells the story of the designs of the medals - from design to mine to their production at the Royal Mint headquarters in Llantrisant, South Wales. Medals have been awarded to winning athletes since the first modern Olympics in 1896, and these modern medals continue that tradition combining traditional elements - the front of the medal always depicts the Greek Goddess of Victory, Nike - with emblems that are specific to London (a ribbon represents the River Thames) while a dished background suggests the bowl shape of a modern stadium.