Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games medals unveiled

Birmingham 2022 has unveiled the official medals which will be awarded to athletes at the Commonwealth Games this summer.

The exquisite, jewel-like medals have been designed by three students from Birmingham’s School of Jewellery.

The designers took inspiration from the journey that athletes take to reach their goal of competing at the Games, and so embossed areas, symbolising an aerial map of the host region’s road and canal network, have been included as a key feature of the design.

The medals are being manufactured by Toye, Kenning and Spencer in Birmingham’s world-renowned Jewellery Quarter, a location which is included on the Birmingham 2022 marathon route and is just a stone’s throw away from Arena Birmingham, one of the key venues for the Games which will begin on 28 July.  

The medal was designed by a group of students led by Amber Alys, with Francesca Wilcox and Catarina Rodrigues Caeiro also part of the winning team that has designed the ribbon and the box for the medal too.

The three students, along with dozens of others, individually entered a competition organised by the School of Jewellery and the Birmingham 2022 team, and as they moved through the judging process, they were brought together as a team.

Amber Alys, the lead designer for the medal, spoke on behalf of the design team and said: "It has been incredible to see our designs come to life, and we're delighted with the medals, ribbons and presentation boxes. 

“We really thought about the athletes when designing the medals – the connection between athletes and the journey they go on to achieve their dream of standing on top of the podium.

“We wanted to create something with a jewel-like quality so that the athletes had something that they could treasure for the rest of their lives. We really hope the athletes like them.”

One of the athletes hoping to get her hands on a medal is seven-time Paralympic gold medallist, Hannah Cockcroft, as a Commonwealth Games medal is one that is missing from her extensive collection.

1875 medals will now be produced, to be awarded to the athletes placing first, second and third in the 283 medal events that are part of the Games, including more medal events for women than men for the first time ever.

The medal winners will also be given a box in which to keep the medal, and this features the aerial map design too, providing a clear connection to the design of the medal.

The medals will be presented at the victory ceremonies at all 15 of the Birmingham 2022 official competition venues, so ticket holders will see medal ceremonies as part of some of the 286 sessions of sports on offer at the Games.