The medals at this year’s Invictus Games have undergone a distinctly Canadian alteration.
Adorned with a bright yellow ribbon, which is symbolic of the Invictus Games, 13 maple leaves join the Games motto “I am the master of my fate” on the medal’s front, and another 24 maple leaves are encircled on the back.
Designed by British company Cleave – Court Jewellers, their unique designs combine the past with a modern-day style. Gold, silver and bronze medallists will also receive a luxurious black box with the Invictus Games Toronto 2017 logo embroidered on the cover.
The Canadian adaptation is a modification from the medals presented at both the London 2014 and Orlando 2016 Invictus Games. Originally based on a concept by Harry Parker, a British soldier injured while serving in Afghanistan, the medals for those Games were designed with an embossed stitch decoration, which represented the recovery and rehabilitation process of the competitors.
Canadian retailer Roots continues its decades-long support of sporting events by providing the medallists with a leather pouch to carry their medals. The pouches were produced at the Roots leather factory in Toronto.
Team Netherlands were the first recipients of the new medals, awarded to them by Prince Harry, after taking top honours in the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge on Saturday. The team from Great Britain took home silver while Denmark claimed bronze.
