In January 2009 the Royal Mint launched its biggest ever competition, inviting the British public to design a series of new 50p coins. Thousands of excellent designs were received from all over the UK, featuring all 29 sports of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The best designs were selected and now they’ve been made into coins to collect as lasting mementoes of London 2012.

The Royal Mint is the world's leading export mint, making coins and medals for an average of 60 countries every year. However, its first responsibility is to make and distribute United Kingdom coins as well as official medals. This coin features the London 2012 logo and the official pictogram for Triathlon. This is an official product of the 2012 London Olympics.