Olympics are a leading sporting event normally held every 4 years. This leading event held is just like a festival for the athlete across the world. Athletes practice their level best with their utmost dedication and compete with the best players across the world to bag in the most prestigious medal of their lifetime.
Tokyo Olympics of 2020 were also one of the most awaited events of the decade, but due to the unprecedented occurrence of the Covid-19 virus, this festival was cancelled in 2020. After over a year of mind-numbing struggle and uncertainty, the most awaited Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 finally brought the world together in a show of positivity and hope.
This two-week spine-tingling sports event of Olympic has presented us with the sporting events, the utmost dedication of athletes and after all the emotional moments of sportsmanship. Olympic is not just a competition it is a true event where thousands of athletes across the world come forward to represent their worth and gifts awe-inspiring moments to the public.
This year’s Tokyo Olympics was also unique in itself. The way Japan organized this event amidst the pandemic is truly praiseworthy. Moreover, the Tokyo 2020 Medal Project was also a great environmental-friendly initiative. Such initiatives represent that how such a small country with limited resources made such a grand event successful without any flaws.
Olympics Medals
Olympics is a sporting event led internationally where athletes across the world come to compete for the neck to neck in diverse competitions. Olympic medals are awarded to victorious competitors to praise the determination and hard work they did to excel in the game. Medals are classified into three classes, Gold, Silver and Bronze which is awarded to first, second and third respectively.
Getting awarded with any of these medals is a lifetime achievement for a player. These medals not only encourage the player but also the whole country to excel in sports. But the curious question is these medals made up of pure gold and silver? So you would be astonished to know Gold medals are not made up of pure gold; if it’s done so then it would be too mushy.
So these gold medals are made up of pure silver instead, with a gold plating of 6 grams per medal; making it weigh around 556gm. Silver medals are the only pure ones, completely made up of silver; weighing around 550 grams. Whereas bronze is also not a pure metal either. They are not even bronze technically; they are made up of brass, an alloy of 95% copper and 5% zinc.
E-Waste and Olympic Medals
Doesn’t it sounds quite weird to read about both these terms together? Is there any link between E-waste and Olympic medals? It is astonishing to know that in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 medals handed out, across sporting events, were made of recycled metals from small electronic devices such as used mobile phones, laptops; cameras etc. which were donated by people across Japan.
The Tokyo 2020 Medal Project was an effort to make the event more environmental-friendly. Hence in the 2 years between April 2017 and March 2019, 100 per cent of metal were extracted from e-waste to manufacture approximately 5,000 gold, silver and bronze medals. E-waste is one of the greatest curses to our earth, in this era of technology we humans have become slaves to these electronic goods.
This has led to a sudden rise in e-waste. E-waste contains several conterminous particles which not only pollute the soil but also the air. With these conterminous compounds and metals like lead, mercury also contains several metals that can be reused. From silver to copper, it contains several elements which can be used in diversified areas.
E-waste is just like another waste that is completely harmful to the environment. Not only India but this whole world is bearing the curse of this digital era i.e. e-waste. But with the help of modern technologies, now we can easily treat waste into beneficial products. Same Japan did while making the medals, instead of using the new metals, in 2 years they procured these metals from e-waste.
Several people got engaged in the work of medal making. It is not the first time medals are made up of e-waste. In Rio Olympics approx. 30 % of medals were from waste. But the initiative taken by Japan is truly praiseworthy. In this 21 century unknowingly we are wasting or discarding several resources which can be brought to use. Japan is a technology hub and it also knows the value of technological wastes which is used to give inspiration to the whole world.
In India, tons of electric waste is being generated which can be used judiciously. Hence we as a layman should take care of smallest to smallest goods in a judicious way and try our level best to save our environment.
Written by - Ashwin Kalra
Edited by - Piyush Pandey
Edited by - Piyush Pandey
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