2009 WU Harbin: Medal Design

With a little more than a month to go before the Opening Ceremony of the 24th Winter Universiade in Harbin, China, we already raise a corner of the veil by showing you the design of the medals at stake. The athletes will no doubt be very eager to take these gems back home!

The medals for the Harbin 24th Winter Universiade are designed with inspiration from “Heshibi”, a well-known piece of precious jade in the history of ancient China. Gold and crystal are the two composing elements of the gold medals. Gold, regarded as a symbol of reverence and nobility in China, represents the highest honor of winning in ice and snow competition events; while crystal, associated with harmony and purity, gives prominence to the characteristic of ice and snow sports, as well as the athletic values of fairness, justice and openness.

The FISU emblem is inscribed in the metal centerpiece on the obverse side of the medal, which is surrounded by ornamenting post-modern Chinese Auspicious Cloud graphics and the English theme slogan for the Harbin 24th Winter Universiade: “Youth, Future, Ice and Snow”. On the peripheral crystal, the FISU five stars and silk ribbons are combined to show a vivid image of the stars crossing the finish line, representing the win-win sportsmanship of solidarity, enterprise and courage of university athletes around the world. Meanwhile, the silk ribbons can be interpreted as the Silk Road with Chinese characteristics, and the five stars as the university athletes from the five continents, who are to show their great talents on this ice and snow stage in Harbin, China, On the reverse side, the logo for the Harbin 24th Winter Universiade is engraved in the metal centerpiece. The shape of the string buckle derives from the Chinese traditional Auspicious Cloud graphics which is a symbol of luck.

The medal, with its unique design, elegant style, and a rich flavor of Chinese characteristics and ice and snow features, combines the Chinese traditional culture together with the sports spirit in a harmonious manner. With fluid and vivid tableau language, the medal not only portrays the energy and vitality of the university students, but also shows the harmonious beauty between man and sports, and man and nature.

The medal ribbons for the Harbin 24th Winter Universiade are made of colorful machine-woven brocade with exquisite techniques. Expressions of the Harbin 24th Winter Universiade are also woven on the strap. The gold, silver, and bronze medals will go with red, blue and yellow ribbons respectively, which not only indicate that winter sports are an important element in international sports development, but also signify the essence of sports-passion, youth and vigor.

The gold medal

The silver medal

The bronze medal