BEIJING -- The gold, silver and bronze medals that will hang around the necks of winning athletes at September's Paralympics were formally handed over on Monday to the organizers of the Beijing Games.

Paralympic hostesses hold the gold, silver and bronze medals (from L to R) that will hang around the necks of winning athletes at September's Paralympics in Beijing, July 28, 2008. [Xinhua]

The 3,000 medals for the Paralympics, together with 3,000 medals for August's Olympics, were supplied by the Australian mining company BHP Billiton, who sponsored the medals for both Games.

"I thank all the people and parties that were involved in the designing and production of the medals. These medals are a symbol of your respect and love for the people with disabilities," Tang Xiaoquan, executive vice president of Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games (BOCOG), said at the presentation ceremony.

A total of 1,000 medals for each category were made, enough for all the winning athletes, including those in group sports, to receive a medal, said Zhao Dongming, head of BOCOG's cultural activities department.

It was the first time that the medals, with the jade inlay, were designed in a public competition.

The medals' metal -- 13.04 kg of gold, 1,340 kg of silver and 830 kg of copper -- came from mines in Australia and Chile, while the jade was sourced in China.