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| Helsinki 2012 Chairman Antti Pihlakoski, European Athletics President Hansjörg Wirz with Finland's Culture and Sports Minister Paavo Arhinmí¤ki, Director of Sports at the Ministry of Culture and Sports Harri Syví¤salmi and Helsinki 2012 GeneralSecretary Esa Honkalehto at a ceremony to mark one month to go to the European Athletics Championships in the Finnish capital on Tuesday. |
The Helsinki 2012 European Athletics Championships medals to be awarded to victorious athletes were today unveiled during a ceremony to mark one month to go to the 21st edition of the continental showpiece.
European Athletics President Hansjörg Wirz and Helsinki 2012 Chairman Antti Pihlakoski presented the first commemorative medal to Finland's Culture and Sports Minister Paavo Arhinmí¤ki.
'The European Athletics Championships will provide a boost of over 30 million euros to the Finnish economy, and is expected to generate an additional 10-15 million euros in form of taxes for the state and the city of Helsinki,' said Pihlakoski.
'The honourable minister understands the importance of holding the European Athletics Championships in Helsinki. The money that the state has invested in the rehabilitation of the Olympic stadium has been well worth it, and to thank the ministers for their support and cooperation, we wanted to present the first Helsinki 2012 gold medal to him,' he added.
The Helsinki 2012 medals were designed by Finnish designer Mikko Paakkanen, who was awarded the Finnish Young Designer of the year in 2006. The medal design perfectly complements the theme of championships – technology and design. It combines the ecstasy of sport and the Finnish know-how in the field of design and technology.
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| The Helsinki 2012 medals were unveiled on Tuesday. |
According to Paakkanen, despite the influence of technology in designing the medal, the movement involved in the sport is at the core of the Helsinki 2012 medal design.
'I wanted to take advantage of the new medal manufacturing technologies. The new shape and design comes from new 3D technology, which allowed us to create this medal. The medal is a great combination of new design and technology,' said Paakkanen.
Paakkanen got the idea for the design of the medal during a business trip to Dublin last year.
'I was sitting by a table in my hotel room, wondering what I could do for the design. I started thinking about what Helsinki means to me. Helsinki is a trendsetter, and this is one of the main ideas I wanted to incorporate into the medal,' said Paakkanen.
'I hope that one of my designs will be hung around the neck of a Finnish athlete,' he added.