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How to Stash Olympic Medals Before the Games

What to do with all those medals before the Olympics? Store them in the Tower of London, of course.

By July 04, 2012
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Reuters

The Olympic medals are in the Tower of London, along with the United Kingdom's most valuable treasures, for safekeeping.

Thousands of Olympic and Paralympic medals are now locked up in the Tower of London for safekeeping. On Monday, a total of 4,700 medals were stored in the vaults of the Tower, which is also home to Britain’s Crown Jewels. “It’s such an obvious place for us to bring our medals. Where else in the world would you want to take them for safekeeping?” said Sebastian Coe, two-time gold medalist and chairman of the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG).

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For centuries, British monarchs used the Tower of London as a palace, prison, place of execution, and a place to hoard treasures. The latest addition of Olympic treasures to the Tower consist of eight tons of gold, silver, and copper that were mined and refined to produce the medals, reports The Guardian.

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The gold, silver, and bronze medals will stay in the vaults of the Tower until they will be awarded to the athletes in 805 Victory Ceremonies that are set to take place in over 30 Olympic venues across the U.K. The Games run from July 27-Aug. 12 and, according to Reuters, the first medals will be presented on July 28 in one of the women’s shooting events.

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