London 2012 Strikes Gold, Silver and Bronze with Rio Tinto

The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has announced Rio Tinto, a leading international mining group headquartered in London, as the ‘Official Mining and Metals Provider’ to London 2012. Rio Tinto will provide all the gold, silver and copper to produce the 4,700 medals for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and becomes a domestic Tier 3 sponsor.

The metal will come from opposite sides of the globe, from Rio Tinto’s Kennecott Utah Copper mine in Salt Lake City, USA, and the Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia. London 2012 marks the second time Rio Tinto has supplied the metals for the medals, having previously done so for the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games in 2002.

LOCOG Commercial Director Chris Townsend commented, “The medals are one of the great traditions and enduring images of any Olympic or Paralympic Games, so Rio Tinto will play a significant role in the successful delivery of London 2012. We welcome them to the London 2012 family and we look forward to working with them to ensure that our medals will be both spectacular and sustainable.”

Tom Albanese, Rio Tinto Chief executive said, “All of us at Rio Tinto are excited to have the special job once again of digging the ore that will become treasured medals for the world’s elite athletes. We are right behind London 2012’s commitment to delivering sustainable Games, which aligns with Rio Tinto’s passionate commitment to sustainable development wherever we operate around the world."