The first metal ore that will be made into London 2012 medals has today been delivered by official metal provider Rio Tinto to the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG).

Olympian and London 2012 ambassador James Cracknell attended the handover event, where Rio Tinto chief executive Tom Albanese presented a rock containing veins of copper to LOCOG.

The ore, which will be used to to make the 4,700 gold, silver and bronze medals, was mined at Rio Tinto’s Kennecott Utah Copper Mine near Salt Lake City in America, as well as from the Oyu Tolgoi project in Mongolia. 

James Cracknell said: ‘Nothing beats the incredible feeling of winning an Olympic medal. Seeing the ore that will make the London 2012 medals brings the Games a step closer for the 14,700 athletes expected to compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.’

London 2012 will be the second Games that Rio Tinto has supplied medals for, having previously done so for the Salt Lake City Winter Games in 2002.

The designs of the London 2012 medals will be unveiled later in the summer.

Chief Executive of LOCOG Paul Deighton said ‘Receiving the ore from Rio Tinto that will become the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic medals is an exciting moment for us all at LOCOG and for everyone involved in the staging of the Games.

‘With just over one year to go to, this is another milestone that brings the Games even closer for athletes across the globe who are training in the hope that they will win an Olympic or Paralympic medal.’