2010 Medals: Let the Games Begin! by Peter Rexford on Creators.com

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2010 Medals: Let the Games Begin!

Canada's not usually known for major events that get the attention of the world. That's what I like about it. It's like the United States, but falls far more "under the radar." Visit most Canadian towns, cities or provinces, and more often than not, you have to look at the money to realize you're not in the United States. OK, that doesn't include Quebec. They just can't seem to understand that they are not France.

In a matter of days, however, the eyes of the world will be on Canada — Vancouver, in particular — for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

I'll admit, I will probably watch some of them. I'm not a huge fan of figure skating and have never understood the bobsled or luge. I've no doubt they are sports that involve skill and physical acumen, but from a spectator's point-of-view, they really just seem to be having fun on a sled.

Skiing is a different story. These guys are crazy — shooting down a hill at 50 miles per hour or so. And they're standing up! I won't even get onto the ski jump. That honestly looks like calculated suicide. Of course, I have to be careful here.

Some years ago, I wrote about some postage stamps being produced by the U.S. for the winter games. One mentioned a sport I really didn't understand. It was the one where a person travels for a distance on cross-country skis and then shoots a rifle at a target, travels again, shoots, etc. It seemed like a sport out of a James Bond film. I called it the "ski and shoot" thing. Uh-oh.

After that, the mail I received piled up. Fans or participants of what is known as the biathlon were anything but amused. I think I still get mail about that.

It really doesn't matter what events you watch. It's just fascinating to see the world come together and compete in sports few of us could ever contend in. Best of all are the competitors from countries where winters — as we know them — don't exist. (For example, the movie "Cool Runnings" about the Jamaican bobsled team. Now, that was great.)

The Olympic games have such universal interest that collecting Olympic memorabilia is one of the most popular hobbies in the world.

Certainly, the pins created by the various countries, countless TV networks, sports suppliers, vendors, sponsors, etc., are not only interesting and attractive, but many also have become extremely valuable over the years.

Other than actual autographs and possibly sporting equipment used by the athletes, Olympic coins and medals have proven a popular and sometimes profitable area of collecting. For the upcoming games in Canada, a cavalcade of coins is being struck and sold by the Royal Canadian Mint.

In the U.S., a set of medals has been created as both a memento of the games and as a means of fundraising for the competing American teams.

Authorized by the U.S. Olympic Committee, the medals feature the "Team USA/Vancouver 2010" color logo and on a hologram on the packaging (as required for every USOC-authorized souvenir).

The dollar-size medals are silver- or gold-plated and struck in proof condition in a custom presentation box. The golden version features the Statue of Liberty in the foreground with the Canadian maple leaf behind. That combination of images nicely represents two neighboring countries with a historically good relationship along an almost 5,600 border — incidentally, the longest undefended border in the world.

The silver-plated medal showcases the official logo of Vancouver 2010: the "inukshuk." Centuries ago, the Inuit people on the permafrost first formed the "inukshuk" emblem from rocks. Although it has the initial appearance of a Japanese word, it was used to mark trails, indicate caches of food, and locate nearby settlements or good places to hunt or fish. It was selected by a nine-member panel and won over 1,600 other submissions.

Understand, the medals are not struck from pure precious metals. The $35 (plus shipping) price tag of the set is evidence of that. Each is only coated with a very thin layer of gold or silver. Nevertheless, they are each extremely attractive and a nice collectible for this year's Olympics. They're also an easy way to contribute to the athlete's making the trip to the games, as a portion of the proceeds is donated to that cause.

The sets (and individual medals) are being sold by Panda America, the official distributor and USOC licensee. For more information, phone at 1-800-472-6327 or visit www.PandaAmerica.com.

Editor's Note: A JPEG visual of the 2010 U.S. Olympic Games medals has been sent with this column.

To find out more about Peter Rexford and to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.