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Materials Chemistry Sport Chemistry

What are the Tokyo 2020 Olympic medals made of?

The delayed 2020 Olympics are currently taking place in Tokyo, and setting a number of firsts. Obviously, it’s the first Olympics to take place without a public audience in the stadiums to watch the events. However, it’s also the first Olympics at which the medals are made entirely from recycled metals. This graphic takes a […]

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Materials Chemistry Sport Chemistry

What are the 2018 Winter Olympics medals made of?

If you’ve been enjoying the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang over the past few weeks, you might have wondered what the medals the winning athletes receive are made of. As this graphic shows, it’s not quite as simple as gold, silver, and bronze!

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Materials Chemistry

The Composition of the Rio Olympics Medals

If you’ve been watching the Olympics, you might have assumed that the medals given out are, as advertised, made of gold, silver, and bronze. Due to metal values, however, the reality is slightly more complicated. Giving out pure gold medals would be financially crippling for the International Olympic Committee, so unsurprisingly some compromises are involved. […]

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Medicinal Chemistry Sport Chemistry

A Brief Guide to Doping in Sports

The Rio Olympics are underway, and after a build-up that’s already been marred by the Russian doping scandal, officials will be on the look-out for athletes trying to gain an edge by using performance-enhancing drugs. What types of drugs will they be looking for, and why might athletes be tempted to use them in the […]

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C&EN Medicinal Chemistry Sport Chemistry

The Chemistry Behind the Russian Doping Scandal – in C&EN

The run-up to the Rio Olympics has been overshadowed by a number of issues, not least of which is the doping scandal surrounding Russian competitors. This month’s Periodic Graphics in C&EN looks at the alleged chemical cocktail that was used to dope Russian athletes at the 2012 London Games and in the 2014 Sochi Winter […]