ATHENS - AUGUST 20: Maki Tsukada of Japan (white) fights Tea Donguzashvili of Russia (blue) in the women's judo +78 kg class final of table on August 20, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games at Ano Liossia Olympic Hall in Athens, Greece. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Dancers perform during the 'Lace Making' segment of the Closing Ceremony on Day 16 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Maracana Stadium on August 21, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Dancers perform during the 'Lace Making' segment of the Closing Ceremony on Day 16 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Maracana Stadium on August 21, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Dancers perform at the 'Lace Making' segment during the Closing Ceremony on Day 16 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Maracana Stadium on August 21, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Dancers perform at the 'Lace Making' segment during the Closing Ceremony on Day 16 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Maracana Stadium on August 21, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Dancers perform during the 'Lace Making' segment of the Closing Ceremony on Day 16 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Maracana Stadium on August 21, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Olympic Day. A young runner making a praying gesture when arriving. If you wish to obtain these Images, please contact images@olympic.org

On the obverse, the Olympic rings marked in relief accompanied by Aboriginal designs taken from the orca work produced by laser and giving the impression of additional texture. On the reverse, the official name of the Games in English and French, the two official languages of Canada and the Olympic Movement. Also present are the 2010 Olympic Winter Games emblem and the name of the sport and event concerned. The undulating shape of the medals was devised by Omer Arbel, a Canadian industrial designer and architect originally from Vancouver. This distinctive look requires the medal to be struck nine times as part of the 30-step fabrication process. The inspiration for these medals came from a large artwork by Corrine Hunt, a Vancouver-based artist of Komoyue and Tlingit heritage. Each of the medals has a hand-cropped section of the artwork, thus making each medal one of a kind.

1924: Eric Liddell of Great Britain in action at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. Liddell was a rival to Abrahams in the 100 metres but moved up from that distance to 400 metres when he discovered, many months before the Games, that his final would be held on a Sunday. Competing on that day was against his religious principals. The film +Chariots of Fire+ employed cinematic license for dramatic effect showing Liddell making a last minute decision in Paris just before the Games started.

The designs featured on the reverse of the medals are the fruit of the union of "maki-e" and "shippoyaki". We can see a sun rising over the Shinshu mountains, accompanied by the Olympic rings, the official logo of the Nagano Games and a pictogram representing the discipline in which the medal was won. ©IOC