2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games Medals

None of the 615 Olympic and 399 Paralympic medals will be exactly alike and rather than stick to a flat metal disc with engravings on front and back, British Columbia designer Corinne Hunt, along with architect Omer Arbel, made the medals wavy and undulating.

The Olympic medals will display an orca while the Paralympic medals will feature a raven."The orca or the killer whale is really a beautiful creature that is strong, it has many wonderful physical characteristics but it also is a creature that lives within a community," Hunt explained. "The raven is a totem rising, it's a creature that is all things, and I think Paralympic athletes have that in them," she added. The Olympic medals are circular in shape while the Paralympic medals are more square.

The reverse side of the medals displays the name of the Games in English and French, as well as the Vancouver 2010 logo and the name of the sport for which the medal was issued. The Paralympic medals will also have braille type. The Games motto, "With Glowing Hearts," will be written on the medal's blue and green ribbon. LINK