Thousands of enthusiastic athletes will flock to East London for the 12th annual Ironman 70.3 on Sunday.
According to the Buffalo City Tourism Facebook page, the medal which will be awarded to those brave enough to face the challenge, is inspired by the East London Multicultural Man statue which stands at the beachfront and symbolises the universal humanity of all cultures.
“It is situated at the Heroes Part on the East London Esplanade on the beachfront and depicts a faceless man standing on the of planet Earth, surround by seven doves which represent the seven continents.”
It is one of four identical works created by Italian artist Francesco Perilli as a tribute to peaceful multiculturalism.
The first Multicultural Man was installed in Toronto, Canada in 1985, followed by Sarajevo, Bosnia in 1997 and Changchun, China in 2002.
East London’s Multicultural Man – a gift from the Italian government – was unveiled in 2006.
