14 October 2010
Royal seal of approval for student design
New coin for 2012 Olympics
A 50p coin designed by a MMU student will be found in millions of people’s change this month.
Justin Chung’s sporting design was selected from over 30,000 entries in a public competition by the Royal Mint to create commemorative coins for London 2012.
A panel of independent experts and representatives from Royal Mint, London 2012 and the International Olympic Committee picked the 22-year-old’s design, which received final approval from the Treasury and Her Majesty The Queen.
Three million
Justin’s creation is one in a series of 29, each coin image reflecting an Olympic and Paralympic sport to be contested at the Games. Three million coins of his design will go into general circulation this month.
Architecture student Justin chose to depict Boccia, a sport with ancient Greek origins that is unique to the Paralympic Games. Played by wheelchair athletes with severe cerebral palsy and related neurological disorders, the aim of the game is to throw or bowl a ball so that it lands as close as possible to the ‘jack’ and is a test of muscle control and accuracy.
Justin says he chose Boccia as it was a sport he didn’t know much about and spent time watching clips online to understand how the game is played. He was captivated by the facial expressions of Paralympians taking part and wanted to capture that in the design.
Commenting on the once in a lifetime opportunity Justin said: “I was very happy to find out I had won – I almost couldn’t believe it!”
Making history
London 2012 chairman Lord Coe said: “The 50ps will be part of a long-lasting, wide-reaching cultural legacy that will benefit the entire nation and I’m looking forward to finding the first one in my change and collecting the entire range.”
Dave Knight, the Royal Mint’s Director of Commemorative Coins, said: “Justin is making history. His coin will become a treasured memento of the biggest sporting event to happen on UK shores for over half a century.”
Look out for Justin’s design in your change, or buy his coin design online.
