Eiffel Tower-inspired Olympic and Paralympic medals revealed ahead of Paris 2024
Each medal will include a piece of the famous Paris landmark.
The Eiffel Tower, the most iconic landmark in Paris and France as a whole, is at the forefront of the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic medals revealed on Thursday. The tower did not just inspire the medals that will be won by the world’s best athletes this summer, but they actually include a piece of it.
Built in 1889, the tower underwent renovation in the 20th century to modernize the elevators, and some of the original iron was removed and preserved. Recognizing the significance of the Olympics and Paralympics, Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel — who are responsible for the material — granted permission to use some of it on the gold, silver, and bronze medals.
Each medal features 18g of the iron on the front of the medal, in a hexagon pattern to represent the shape of France. The hexagon is attached to the medal by a claw setting typically associated with precious jewellery, with the medals designed in part by French jeweler Chaumet. Around it is a pattern of three-dimensional rays, which draw the eye to the iron in the middle.
The front of the medals are mostly identical for the Olympics and Paralympics, with the Olympic rings and blue ribbon swapped for the Paralympic agitos and a red ribbon. All of the medals are engraved with the name of the sport, the discipline and the event on the edge.
"As usual, Paris 2024 put the athletes at the centre of the project," said five-time gold medal-winning biathlete Martin Fourcade. "We wanted two things: to have similar medals for Olympians and Paralympians, and for the medals to include a piece of invaluable iron [from the Eiffel Tower].
“There were three major inspirations behind this: the hexagon, the influence of France, and we also wanted the medal to be like a jewel - and that’s why it is set exactly like a precious stone."
The back of the Olympic medals will feature Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, who has been depicted on Olympic medals since 1928. This particular version of Nike has been used since 2004. Behind Nike in the design are Panathenaic Stadium, where the Olympic Games were revived in Greece back in 1896, as well as the Eiffel Tower.
The Paralympic medal design is based on the Eiffel Tower as seen from standing directly underneath it. They are also stamped with “Paris 2024” in braille. The 5,084 total medals are produced by France’s mint, the Monnaie de Paris — who also produced the medals for the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris..
The Paris 2024 Olympics will begin on July 26 and run through August 11. The Paralympics will follow a few weeks later, from August 28 through September 8.
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