World Championship bronze medal path: from Latvia to Finland and back with the word “Latvija” pre-engraved

According to the organizers of the world championship, the author of the unique medals is the Finnish designer Marko Salonen. The author has tried to create a dimension of depth and a sense of movement. The design mimics the raised stands of an arena with a skating rink in the center. Spectators are, were and will be an integral part of the World Championship, so the medal is dedicated to fans and their essential role in sports.

However, it has now been revealed that the realization of Salonen’s idea was entrusted to the Latvian company “Geka”, which not only made the ribbons for the awards, but also the medals themselves. The company created in Bauskas has also set up a store in Riga, on Kalnciema Street, for several years.

The medal has a diameter of 100 millimeters and a thickness of 15 millimeters. The total weight of the medal is 350 grams. They visually reflect the movement and atmosphere in the hockey arena, focusing on the spectators and their relentless support for the teams. The inclusion of spectators in the design is especially important, considering that until recently sports events had to be held without the presence of fans.

Salonen, who created the visual identity of the previous year’s World Championships, is proud to have been entrusted with the development of the medal design this time.

As usual, the year of the competition and the two host countries – Finland and Latvia – were also indicated on the medals. Therefore, the word “Latvija” was already on the medals long before the start of the competition. Finland also managed to get medals with the name of their country on them last year. The Finnish designer Pauli Maronen was the author of last year’s awards.

The word “Latvijas” also adorned the medals at the previous hockey world championship we organized in 2021, when the “Latvijas monētu nams” was closely involved in the development of the design, however, the minting itself took place at the Norwegian mint, where the Nobel Prize awards are also created. Maybe it was the missing piece to success.