2008 Beijing Olympic Games' medals unveiled

BEIJING, March 27 (Xinhua) -- The athletes will be awarded medals made of metal and jade when they make it to the podium in the 2008 Olympic Games.

The Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee (BOCOG) unveiled the unique medal design at a grand ceremony held at the Capital Museum of China Tuesday afternoon as part of festivities marking the 500-day countdown to the Games, which will fall on August 8, 2008.

The front of the medals follows the standard design set by the International Olympic Committee -- an image of Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory and the Panathinaiko stadium where the Olympic Games were revived in 1896, while a piece of jade is on the back with the seal-like Beijing Olympic emblem engraved in the metal centerpiece.

Beijing full of confidence 500 days before Olympics

BEIJING, March 27 (Xinhua) -- With the 2008 Olympic Games exactly 500 days away, China's preparations are going smoothly as planned, but challenges still remain over issues such as pollution and traffic congestion.

Construction work is well underway on 37 Olympic venues, 31 in Beijing including the National Stadium, known as the "Bird's Nest" because of its giant latticework of metal girders, and many are near completion to host more than 40 test events, 26 set for this summer.

The picture taken on March 24 shows obverse sides of victory medals of gold (C), silver (L) and bronze (R) for Beijing Olympic Games. BOCOG (Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad) unveiled the Games' victory medals on the 500-day countdown to the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games at the Capital Museum in Beijing, capital of China, March 27, 2007.(Xinhua Photo/Wang Yong)

Medal design unveiled to mark 500-day countdown