Raw materials mined in Australia and Chile will be used to produce the medals for the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games in China, says mining giant BHP Billiton.
BHP's Cannington mine in Queensland and its Escondida and Spence operations in Chile will provide the materials needed to produce the gold, silver and bronze medals for the Beijing Games.
Cannington will supply the silver that is used in the production of both the gold and silver medals. Escondida will supply copper concentrate which will contain the gold for the gold medals, while Spence will provide copper cathode that is used to produce the bronze for the bronze medals.
The Cannington mine is located in north-west Queensland in Australia and processes both silver and lead.
The Escondida open pit mine in Chile's Atacama Desert is the world's largest copper producer.
The Spence deposit is located at an elevation of 1,700m above sea level in the arid Atacama Desert Region of northern Chile near the small community of Sierra Gorda.
The materials will be shipped from both countries to the China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation in Shanghai where the medals will be created.
Reported by Ozge Ibrahim
