The organizers of next year's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics said on Wednesday that they have collected enough recycled gold, silver and bronze to make the Games' medals.
The organizing committee plans to make the more than 5,000 awards using metal from mobile phones and other small electronic devices.
The collection campaign ran from April 2017 through March this year. The committee said at a meeting on Wednesday that the necessary amounts were secured, with 32 kilograms of gold, 3,500 kilograms of silver and 2,200 kilograms of bronze collected.
Participants in the meeting included officials from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Environment Ministry and companies that cooperated in the effort.
According to the committee, about 79,000 tons of electronic devices were sent to local governments across the country, and more than 6.2 million mobile phones to mobile phone provider NTT Docomo.
Committee official Masaaki Komiya thanked everyone who has taken part in the collection campaign, and expressed hope that the recycling effort will continue as a legacy of the Tokyo Games.
Production of the medals has already begun. The Olympic medal designs are to be unveiled on July 24, exactly a year before the Games start, and those for the Paralympics next month.
The Tokyo Olympic Games will be held from July 24 to August 9, 2020, followed by the Paralympic Games from August 25 to September 6.
