The Sochi 2014 Winter Games organising committee on Thursday (May 30) unveiled the designs for the medals that Olympic and Paralympic champions will receive at next year's Games.

Russian Olympian Svetlana Zhurova displayed the medals which feature the Sochi 2014 "patchwork quilt" pattern, meant to reflect the cultures and ethnicities of the Russian Federation, with Olympic rings on the front combined with depictions of Sochi's mountainscape and sea. The reverse side is engraved with the competition and Sochi 2014 logo.

The medals are constructed of metal and polycarbonate and weigh between 460 and 531 grams for the Olympians medals, and between 585 and 686 grams for the Paralympians, according to organisers.

Paralympic medals were designed with depictions of the Paralympic symbol and the Sochi 2014 logo. Visually-impared athletes will receive medals inscribed in Braille.

The medals are designed by a team of young Russian designers at the Leo Burnett advertising agency and manufactured by Adamas jewelry company. Each of the 1300 medals will take up to 18 hours to manufacture.

Presented by Adam Justice