Levi Nelson had to hold back his tears when he opened the cedar box containing the medals for the 2025 Invictus Games.
The artist from the Lil’wat Nation designed the hardware, and seeing it for the first time brought a rush of emotions.
“I was overwhelmed,” Nelson said Wednesday after the medals were unveiled. “To see something go from paper to gold, and especially to see a Coast Salish design rendered in gold, was very meaningful to me. It was a magical moment.”
Nelson, a contemporary painter, incorporated several Coast Salish symbols into the design, including a war paddle, half of the ancestral eye, and triangles and waves that represent mountains and valleys.
Held in Vancouver and Whistler from Feb. 8-16, the Invictus Games will see 462 medals handed out at 167 ceremonies.
WATCH | Levi Nelson explains the meaning of the art in his medal design: Levi Nelson of …