The medals for both the Pan American Games and the Parapan American Games include Braille for the first time.
The medals for this year’s multi-sport competition in Toronto were unveiled Tuesday. The Pan American Games are July 10-26, involving North and South American nations. “Toronto 2015" is written in Braille.
The U.S. has won about twice as many gold medals and overall medals than the next highest nation in the history of the Pan American Games, a quadrennial event dating to 1951.
Olympic prospects are often discovered through competition at Pan Ams, held one year before the Olympics.
Toronto organizers will hope that this year’s medals will hold up better than the 2011 version from Guadalajara, Mexico. Some of those medals quickly tarnished, according to O Globo.
Here are images of this year’s medals from Toronto 2015 organizers, plus previous editions from Getty Images:
GUADALAJARA, MEXICO - OCTOBER 16: Detail of medal during the Woman’s 10m Air Pistol Qualification Round during Day Two of the XVI Pan American Games at the Pan American Shooting Range on October 16, 2011 in Guadalajara, Mexico. (Photo by Gerardo Zavala/LatinContent/Getty Images)
LatinContent/Getty Images
A surprise winner in mens cycling time trials,Eric Wohlberg from Levack,Ont(near Sudbury) proudly shows off his gold medal at press conference this evening.at the PanAm Games in Winnipeg July 25, 1999. (JEFF GOODE/TORONTO STAR) (Photo by Jeff Goode/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Toronto Star via Getty Images