The front sides of the gold, silver and bronze medals for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The medal designs were unveiled in a ceremony at China's Capital Museum on Tuesday afternoon, March 27, 2007. A series of events has been organized across China's major cities to mark the start of the 500-day countdown to the Beijing Olympics. [Photo: chinanews.com.cn]

The back sides of the gold, silver and bronze 2008 Beijing Olympic Games medals. The medal designs were unveiled in a ceremony at China's Capital Museum on Tuesday afternoon, March 27, 2007. A series of events has been organized across China's major cities to mark the start of the 500-day countdown to the Beijing Olympics. [Photo: chinanews.com.cn]

A ceremony unveiling the new medals to be used for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games was held Tuesday afternoon in China's Capital Museum, marking day 500 in the countdown to the international sports event.

Executive Vice-President of the Organizing Committee for the Beijing Olympic Games, or BOCOG, Jiang Xiaoyu attended the unveiling ceremony.

Designs of the medals are inspired from "bi", China's ancient jade piece inscribed with dragon patterns. The medals, each made with jade, symbolize nobility and traditional Chinese values of honor, giving a strong sense of Chinese flavor.

The medals are 70mm in diameter and 6mm in thickness. The front of the medals is carved with a figure painting that represents the winged goddess of victory Nike and Panathinaikos Arena. It well matches both the requirements of the International Olympic Committee and the spirit of the Olympics. While their backs are enchased with a piece of different colored jade, with emblem of the Beijing Olympic Games engraved in their center, well reflecting the themes of the 2008 Beijing Olympiad.

The new design was selected from some 260 designs submitted from both China and abroad. The winner of the new design was approved by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee, or IOC, in February this year.

The IOC highly praised the new design, calling the medals pieces of art as well as dignified images of China.

The picture taken on March 24 shows reverse sides of victory medals of gold (C), silver (R) and bronze (L) for Beijing Olympic Games. The medal is inlaid with jade and the Beijing Games emblem in the centerpiece of the back. BOCOG (Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad) unveiled the Games' victory medals on the 500-day countdown to the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games at the Capital Museum in Beijing, capital of China, March 27, 2007. (Xinhua Photo/Wang Yong)

Editor: Yan