Cue the anti-Olympic crowd...

Interesting design. I like it!

Other than visiting athletes going home with them, the pawnshops in BC better fix a price on these because of our debt after the Owelympics. Maybe the athletes won't have to pawn their medals after all, if they get cushy jobs with the government sports ministries.

I like 'em !!

Thumbs up for these ones!

Well done.

palomino

Well done! Wonderful design!

Oh Harb! Shush

Very nice!

I like the medals for the most part,but I fail to see why first nations is the only art form we seem to use to represent B.C.?
Any smart marketer knows you can eventually do a certian image to death!
Is there nothing else we can use to show the divesrsity of B.C.population?

Do I have to say I like them? Is that the party line? I heard Gordie Campbell crowing about them during a radio news soun bite, how "the weight of the medals represents the strength of the citizens' in times of adversity" or some such drivel. It sounded to me like He Himself designed the damned medals, thats what turns me off.
metalman.

Although I won't bother to watch a second of this or any other Olympic games, I will say kudos on the design, they are very cool.
And at over a pound a piece, they can be used to beat back leftist protesters!!!!

They would look better if they were melted down into tooneys and looneys.

Isn't it interesting that we reward the best in sport with a piece of sculpture (visual art) and an anthem (performing art).

Not bad for 10 billion and for putting a province in the hole.

As if the provincial debt didn't double during the nineties and increase during the last decade!

I agree with Andyfreeze, WHY does everything even remotely related to BC/Canada have to have a native art incorporated into it?

"WHY does everything even remotely related to BC/Canada have to have a native art incorporated into it?"

Simple answer. Because we'll be pegged as racists if we don't. Gotta love what society has become. Go Canada Go.

"WHY does everything even remotely related to BC/Canada have to have a native art incorporated into it?"

I absolutely agree. There is a lot more to BC than Native culture. I like the design of the medals, but when can we give it a rest with all the homage to the Natives?

Sorry, I know I sound racist, I'm just a tired, broke, taxpayer watching my tax dollars being pi$$ed away on a daily basis.

Its all pomp and circumstance. The atheletes do the work, and the hangers on **bill and coo** The Contractors make big bucks, the Olympics make bigger bucks. They all get the elevator, and we get the shaft.

Same thing for the swearing in of the new President of UNBC to-morrow. All the trappings are native culture, the basketball courts where it will be held were set up by hard working, union workers, most of which probably dont have a University education, however they do all the set up, and the **big dogs** park their butts on the podium and wax philosophically about the ways of the world.

Heaven forbid they should ever do any actual **work**

Those who believe that native culture is over-represented may be relieved to know that all too often the reason for such a heavy emphasis on generally ephemeral and superficial displays of interest in and sympathy for native people is that it relieves institutions like UNBC of doing something more substantial. It's easy to invite a native group to perform or purchase some native artwork, harder actually to become involved with the native communities, undertake serious research and teaching on relevant issues, etc.

As for the Olympics, I have come to think that in their present form they should be abolished. We don't need them: there are plenty of other international sports competitions. Holding so many events at once is excessively expensive, as is the need to build new facilities every time. Far from encouraging international community, the Olympics encourage jingoism. (Did you know that in the first few modern Olympics some teams did not represent any country? There were teams fielded by local amateur athletic associations.) They are quite corrupt and benefit mainly large corporations, at the expense of freedom of speech and small local businesses. I say the heck with it. Abolish it and only resurrect it if an improved arrangement can be found.

I should add that although I am disgusted by many aspects of the 2010 Olympics, the medals are very nice.

What would people who want to see greater diversity in artwork propose as alternatives to native art? I don't know much about art so I'm probably not well informed, but all that immediately comes to mind as in some sense distinctively BC is Lissa Calvert's wildlife art.

I'm not so ignorant as not to know about Emily Carr, but (a) she's long dead and not producing new work; (b) her work is strongly influenced by native art.