Medals for Pan American Games incorporate Braille for the first time

A Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games gold medal in Toronto on March 3, 2015. (Chris Young / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

The medals for this summer's Pan American Games and Parapan Am Games and are made of materials from mines in Ontario, the Dominican Republic and Chile, and feature Braille for the first time ever.

The gold, silver and bronze medals were unveiled at a ceremony today at the Royal Ontario Museum.

The gold was supplied by Toronto-based Barrick Gold Corporation from three of its operations across the Americas -- the gold from its Hemlo mine in Ontario, the silver from its Pueblo Viejo mine in the Dominican Republic and the copper from the Zalvidar mine in Chile.

While Braille -- the tactile writing system used by the blind -- has been incorporated in Paralympic medals in the past, it's never been included in medals for able-bodied athletes at a major international Games.

The medals for the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games are identical except for the ribbon colour: blue for the Pan Am medals, orange for the Parapan Am medals.

The medals measure 86.7 millimetres in diameter, roughly the same as a softball, and weigh 350 grams -- about the weight of a can of soup.

The Pan Am Games run in southern Ontario from July 10 to 26 while the Parapan Ams are Aug. 7-15.