Trail’s Teck operation is playing a key role in the 2010 Olympics hardware production as the main smelter of the gold, silver and copper for the medals that will be given to the best athletes in the world.

Teck is the exclusive supplier of the metals providing 2.05 kg of gold, 1,950 kg of silver and 903 kg of copper sourced from their operations around the world to manufacture more than 1,000 medals.

“Our employees worldwide are honoured to supply the metals for the medals that will be cherished by the world’s best winter athletes in 2010,” said Teck’s president and CEO, Don Lindsay in a statement.

“We’re also excited that these medals will contain recycled metal recovered from end-of-life electronics, consistent with the sustainability philosophy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

Teck’s 2010 medals are making history as the first to contain metal recovered from processing the circuit boards from end-of-life electronics destined for the landfill.

Each medal has 99.99 per cent purity, will weigh between 500 g and 576 g, is 100 mm in diameter and about six mm thick, among the heaviest in Olympic and Paralympic history.

The medals were a collaborative effort between Teck, the Royal Canadian Mint and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 games (VANOC).

The artwork is based on two scenes of an Orca whale for the Olympic medals and a Raven for the Paralympic medals. Each medal is one-of-a-kind with a unique hand cropped section of abstract art designed by Corrine Hunt, a Canadian designer and artist of Komoyue and Tlingit heritage based out of Vancouver.

“The orca is a beautiful creature that is strong but also lives within a community. I felt the Olympic (Games) are a community, too. The athletes may be training but they’re always somehow connected to their community, to their teammates or to their country,” she said in a statement.

“The raven is a creature that is all things and I think Paralympic athletes have that in them. They’re sometimes given challenges and they rise above them and the raven does the same.”

Internationally renowned Canadian industrial designer and architect Omer Arbel used his knowledge of materials and fabrication processes to create the ‘undulating’ design of the medals, struck nine times to achieve their distinctive look in the 30-step medal fabrication process.

VANOC received 48 medal design ideas from across Canada and the world and asked Hunt and Arbel to combine their creative talents after submitting separate designs.

“When we were presented with the Olympic medal design by VANOC a few months ago, we knew they had something special and inspiring to say and share with the world,” said Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in a statement.

“These medals are a beautiful and fitting tribute to the athletes who will shine and be forever remembered as the heroes and heroines of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. They’ll also call to mind the hospitality and generous spirit of all Canadians who welcomed the world in 2010 whenever they’re viewed.”