The Royal Canadian Mint is proud to be recognized as a world leader in the field of medals engineering and fabrication and it was honoured to be invited by the Rick Hansen Foundation to become the official medals supplier of the 25th Anniversary Man in Motion World Tour. From one man in motion to Many in Motion, the men and women of the Royal Canadian Mint were thrilled to join in creating medals which honour the 25 year-old Man in Motion tour and the millions of people who have since been inspired to make a positive difference in their communities.
From the same Ottawa facility responsible for medals of the Canadian Forces, the RCMP and the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, the Mint has designed and handcrafted sterling silver Rick Hansen Relay Medals. One singular medal will be carried by over 7,000 Medal-Bearers in relay fashion as they make their way across Canada during the silver anniversary of the Man in Motion Tour.Every Medal-Bearer will receive their own replica medal to permanently remember the way in which they personally added to the momentum of the 25th Anniversary Man in Motion World Tour.
Features of the Rick Hansen Medal Include:
- 85 millimetres in diameter, a subtle tribute to 1985, when Rick Hansen first pushed off on his two year, two month and two day epic journey.
- Composed of sterling silver (92.5 % silver and 7.5% copper), each medal weighs 400 grams. The Participant Medals will be of a smaller 65 mm diameter and will reproduce the design of the Relay Medal in cupro-nickel.
- The face of the medal consists of a series uniquely textured ribbons intersecting each other, implying motion, excitement and celebration. The bilingual motto of the 25th anniversary: "MANY IN MOTION - UNIS EN MOUVEMENT" is prominently engraved on one ribbon curving in a circular pattern.
- A laser engraving process unique to the Royal Canadian Mint which faithfully recreates the intricate texture of the palm of an actual cycling glove worn by Rick Hansen on his Man in Motion Tour. This is the same glove which circled the globe again from space in August 2007, when Canadian astronaut Dave Williams brought it aboard a mission on the U.S. Space Shuttle Endeavour.
For more information on the medals of the 25th Anniversary Man in Motion World Tour, visit www.mint.ca/rickhansen. This site will include video footage, photos, backgrounders, as well as feature stories as the 25th Anniversary Relay winds its way across Canada.
View the complete Relay Medal gallery of images