Designs for the medals to be awarded at the Beijing Olympic Games were unveiled yesterday at a ceremony marking the 500-day countdown to next year's Games.
The medals follow the standard design prescribed by the International Olympic Committee on one side - an image of the winged goddess of victory Nike and the Panathinaikos Arena.
On the other side the medals are inlaid with jade with the Beijing Olympic Games emblem in the centre. Delicate dragon patterns are engraved on the jade.
The winning design was selected out of 179 submissions from 25 provinces, Hong Kong and several foreign countries including the United States, Germany and Italy.
Mining giant BHP Billiton, the medal sponsor of the Olympics and the Paralympic Games, will provide raw materials for the medals.
BHP's China president, Clinton Dines, said it would purchase raw materials from around the world, with final production to take place in China. He said it was too early to tell how much each medal would cost.
Jiang Xiaoyu , vice-president of the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games (Bocog), described the jade and metal design as a perfect blend of traditional Chinese culture and the Olympic spirit. Jade represents nobility and elegance in China.