Olympic medal count to be posted on N.Y.'s 'Freedom Tower' -USOC

[March 08, 2016]    BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (Reuters) - New York's "Freedom Tower," built on the site of the destroyed World Trade Center, will display the number of medals won by U.S. athletes competing at August's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, officials said on Monday.

The U.S. Olympic Committee and the Durst Organization, which manages the 1,776 foot (541 m) One World Trade Center skyscraper, confirmed the plan but are still working out details of how the illuminated spire will depict the medal count.

"During the period of the Olympic Games the Freedom Tower will light up every night with the medal count for Team USA," Lisa Baird, the USOC's chief marketing officer, told reporters in Beverly Hills, California.

Durst spokesman Jordan Barowitz confirmed that tower management is working on a "lighting scheme" to communicate the medal count.

The U.S. won 104 medals, including gold, silver and bronze, at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, more than any other nation.

(Reporting by Scott Malone; Editing by Bernard Orr)

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