2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro

The Viana heart by artist Joana Vasconcelos, inspired by the traditional jewellery craft of northern Portugal (the Viana do Castelo region), symbolising the Portuguese people's support for their Olympic team. The inscriptions "JOANA VASCONCELOS" and "EQUIPA OLÍMPICA DE PORTUGAL 2016" arc in semicircles to the left and right. Below: the logo of the Portuguese Olympic Committee and the mintmark.

In the summer of 2016, the Olympic Games were held on South American soil for the first time: Rio de Janeiro was the host city from 5 to 21 August. For Portugal, which competed with a small delegation, the Games in Brazil also carried cultural significance - the two countries share a centuries-long history, the common Portuguese language, and a symbolic bond that endures to this day. The Brazilian metropolis, once the capital of the Portuguese colonial empire, is regarded by many Portuguese as part of their shared historical heritage. This explains why Portugal did not view the Rio Games solely as a major sporting event, but as an occasion with particular national resonance.

Portugal designed its 2016 2-euro commemorative coin around a motif from its own craft heritage: the Viana heart, a traditional gold ornament from the Viana do Castelo region in the country's northwest. For generations, this ornament has represented piety, declarations of love and regional identity - it is one of the best-known symbols of Portuguese folk art and is internationally recognised above all through the jewellery worn with Minho traditional costumes. For the Olympic edition, the Viana heart was reinterpreted by artist Joana Vasconcelos, who frequently recontextualises the motif in her work. The choice thus links two dimensions: the international sporting occasion and a deeply Portuguese visual tradition. The coin was issued in the Olympic year 2016 as part of the Europe-wide series on the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.