One of the achievements that any athlete dreams of is winning an Olympic gold, a prize awarded to hundreds of people for more than 100 years. Entering history as Leonidas of Rhodes or Cinisca, the Spartan, did in ancient history. However, in this latest world event that brings together the best athletes from each country, the prize is not gold.
According to Compound Interest, a science communication website that examines chemical compounds, only 1.2% of the medal is made from real gold, the rest is silver. That is, these medals, which weigh about half a kilogram, only contain 6.7 grams of gold.
It should be noted that, during the last edition of the Olympic Games, in Rio de Janeiro, the proportion of gold in the medal was very similar. In fact, these awards usually contain nothing more than a thin layer of gold that covers the rest of the metal.
The silver medal, on the other hand, is made entirely of the metal it promises. Although the bronze medals, which are a mixture of copper and zinc, carry 95% and 5% of these metals, respectively.
The medals were made from recycled mobile phones.
According to Insider, Japan produced the 5,000 medals that the best international athletes will collect with the materials extracted from mobile phones donated by neighbors across the country. Over nearly two years, nearly 80,000 tons of electronic devices were collected, including more than 6 million smartphones.
To extract a single gram of gold, about 40 mobile phones are needed. It should be noted that this is the first time in history that Olympic medals are made with 100% recycled metals.
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