Brochure of the coin

Lithuanian
Collector
Coins
The Lithuanian Olympic series
Olympic Rio de Janeiro carnival
Until the Olympics, Rio de Janeiro — the population of which is more than
six million (more than 10 million including the suburbs) — was commonly
associated with colourful carnivals, the giant statue of Christ the Redeemer,
towering over the city, and the sandy beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema.
The second most populous municipality in Brazil was selected to host the Games
of the XXXI Olympiad during the 121st session of the International Olympic
Committee in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2009. In the last round of the voting,
Rio de Janeiro defeated Madrid (Spain) by 66 votes to 32.
Rio (such is the official name on the emblem) became the first city in South
America to host the Olympic Games.
A record number of countries (206) is expected to participate in the Games.
More than 10,500 athletes will fight for 306 sets of medals in 28 sports games,
which will take place at 33 venues.
The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games will be held in the Maracanã Stadium on 5 August 2016, whereas the closing ceremony — on 21 August 2016.
The Bank of Lithuania continues its tradition of 20 years to release a collector coin for each
Summer Olympic Games. The coin is always dedicated to a sport in which the Lithuanian
athletes have achieved or may achieve the most success.
The 50 litas silver coin dedicated to the XXVI Olympic Games in Atlanta (USA), issued in
1996, featured two basketball players. The concept proved to be prophetic — Lithuanians won the Olympic bronze in basketball.
After four years, we greeted the XXVII Olympic Games in Sydney (Australia) with a coin
bearing the image of a discus thrower. The prophecy was once again surprisingly accurate — Virgilijus Alekna took home the gold.
The Games of the XXVIII Olympiad were held in Athens (Greece) in 2004; the coin dedicated to them featured cyclists. The concept was inspired by the win in Sydney — the bronze
that Diana Žiliūtė won; yet sadly, the cyclists did not receive any medals.
A stylised runner accompanied us to the XXIX Olympic Games in Beijing (China). Even
though Lithuanian athletes did not win any medals on the running tracks, pentathletes who rushed to the finish line in their final event nabbed not one, but two medals:
Edvinas Krungolcas — a silver, while Andrejus Zadneprovskis — a bronze medal.
The coin dedicated to the Games of the XXX Olympiad, held in London (United Kingdom) in 2012, depicted sailing — a sport in which Gintarė Volungevičiūtė-Scheidt
won a silver medal.
Now, in 2016, an image of a swimmer sends us off to the Olympic Rio, as the golden
finish of Rūta Meilutytė in London still has not faded from our memories.
So what will the commemorative coin feature in 2020, when the Games will be held
in Tokyo (Japan)? Taking into account the predictions and sports that have not been
featured yet, it is likely that it will bear the image of rowers.
20 EURO COIN DEDICATED TO THE XXXI OLYMPIC GAMES
IN RIO DE JANEIRO
Silver Ag 925
Quality proof
Diameter 38.61 mm
Weight 28.28 g
On the edge of the coin: XXXI OLIMPIADOS ŽAIDYNĖS
(GAMES OF THE XXXI OLYMPIAD)
Designed by Rūta Ničajienė and Giedrius Paulauskis
Mintage 7,000 pcs
Issued in 2016
Information at the Bank of Lithuania
Tel. (8 5) 268 0316
E-mail: gpt@lb.lt
www.lb.lt
Coins were minted at UAB Lithuanian Mint
www.lithuanian-mint.lt
Lithuanian Collector Coins
Bank of Lithuania, 2016
Coins photographed by Arūnas Baltėnas
Designed by Liudas Parulskis
The publication uses photographs by Alfredas Pliadis and Vygintas Skaraitis as well as photographs from
marchello74, puckillustrations, Sondem from Fotolia.com and BFL agencies
Published by the Bank of Lithuania, Gedimino pr. 6, LT-01103 Vilnius
Printed by UAB LODVILA, www.lodvila.lt
Gintaras Nenartavičius
20 EURO COIN DEDICATED TO
THE XXXI OLYMPIC GAMES IN
RIO DE JANEIRO
Beijing, 2008, photograph by Alfredas Pliadis
Lithuania’s Olympic mission
There is no greater reward and honour for an athlete than to win Olympic gold. Only
the most hard-working and talented manage to reach the Olympic dream, uplifting
the whole country.
Lithuania made its Olympic debut in 1924. After participating in the Olympic Games
once again four years later, Lithuania — as an independent country — went off the grid
for a long period of time.
During the Soviet occupation, Lithuanians could compete in the Games only as part
of the Soviet Union team. In 1952–1988, their victories were under the shadow of
the crimson flag; however, back at home they were admired and hailed as national
heroes. As members of the Soviet team, boxer Danas Pozniakas, canoeist Vladislavas
Česiūnas, swimmers Lina Kačiušytė and Robertas Žulpa, biathelte Algimantas Šalna,
athlete Remigijus Valiulis, cyclists Artūras Kasputis and Gintautas Umaras, crosscountry skier Vida Vencienė, as well as members of the volleyball, handball, basketball and football teams all brought back gold medals to Lithuania.
At the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games, the tricolour will wave for the seventh time
in a row.
Twenty-four years have passed since the winning discus throw of Romas Ubartas
and the bronze medal — which in our eyes shined like gold — of our basketball
team in Barcelona (1992), marked with victories of Lithuanian athletes that filled us
with wonderful emotions.
Athletes of Independent Lithuania have won six gold medals, five silver medals
and ten bronze medals. They brought back at least one award from each Summer Olympics. Discus throwers Romas Ubartas and Virgilijus Alekna, trap shooter
Daina Gudzinevičiūtė, modern pentathlete Laura Asadauskaitė and swimmer Rūta
Meilutytė were all awarded gold medals. The basketball team took the bronze three
times.
At the Summer Olympics, Lithuania was represented by 222 athletes; they competed
in 18 sports games. Twenty-seven athletes, competing in six sports, participated in
the Winter Olympics; alas, they did not win any medals.
Until now, the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing hosted the largest Lithuanian
delegation (71 athletes); however, it may be even larger this time round in Rio.
Welcome home ceremony for Olympians in 2012, photograph from BFL
Rūta Meilutytė,
London, 2012,
photograph by
Alfredas Pliadis
The youngest and the finest
Four years ago only swimming experts knew what Rūta Meilutytė is really capable of, but
even they were dumbfounded when, at the Summer Olympics in London on 30 July 2012,
Meilutytė won the gold medal in the women’s 100-metre breaststroke with a sterling time
of 1:05.47.
At the age of only 15 years and 133 days, the youngest Lithuanian Olympian in history
rewrote many world records. Her name became known to billions of people around
the world, while her gaze and smile were easily recognisable not only to sports fans.
In three years Meilutytė became the first and only athlete to win all possible swimming
titles in all age groups. After triumphs at the European Youth Olympic Festival, the Olympic
Games and the World Championships, in 2014 her crown was bejewelled with yet another
victory at the Youth Olympics and the European Championships. At that time the swimmer
was only 17.
The fight for sports titles, however, is not the same as pursuing academic degrees. In sports,
you have to prove yourself anew in each and every game — mistakes have the same consequences for both rookies and Olympic champions.
Still, the golden girl would probably prefer to forget 2015: she did not win the World Championships that year and suffered an unfortunate bicycle accident. The elbow injury after
falling off a bicycle led to a more than six-month-long hiatus in her career. This was a true
test of patience and will for both Meilutytė and her coach Jon Rudd. Nonetheless, Rūta
came back stronger than ever and will go to Rio with the ultimate goal — to take the Olympic gold.
World sports analysts forecast that in Brazil a medal might be awarded not only to
Meilutytė, but also to Laura Asadauskaitė-Zadneprovskienė, the modern pentathlon star,
and the double sculls rowing team. The basketball team and the boxers might shine as well.