- The medals for the Paris Olympic Games have been unveiled to the public
- This year’s Games in the French capital start in less than six months
- Podium winners receive a piece of the Eiffel Tower embedded in their medal
Triumphant athletes at this year’s Olympics will be rewarded with a piece of the iconic Eiffel Tower after the medals for the Paris Games were unveiled on Thursday.
The two-week global spectacle will kick off in less than six months, with the opening ceremony on July 26, before wrapping up the final events on August 11.
And competitors now know exactly what they will earn if they finish on the podium.
A hexagonal piece of iron from the Eiffel Tower is embedded in each gold, silver and bronze medal, and Paris 2024 creative director Thierry Reboul explained the thinking behind the design.
“The absolute symbol of Paris and France is the Eiffel Tower,” Reboul told reporters.
Athletes who finish on the podium at this year’s Olympic Games will receive a piece of the Eiffel Tower after the unveiling of the medals on Thursday
A hexagonal piece of iron from the Eiffel Tower is incorporated into each medal
French athletes Arnaud Assoumani (left), Marie Patouillet (second from left), Sara Balzer (second from right) and French President of the Paris Organizing Committee Tony Estanguet (right) pose with the Olympic medals
“It’s the opportunity for the athletes to take back a piece of Paris.”
Designed by jeweler Chaumet, the 18-gram medals are surrounded by grooves that evoke rays of light around the outside of the inner hexagonal structure.
The Greek goddess of victory, Nike, also appears on the back of the medals, in a nod to where the Games first started in Athens in 1896.
We see her running forward, with the Acropolis on one side and the Eiffel Tower on the other.
Meanwhile, the medals for the Paralympic Games have also been unveiled for the public to see.
The Paralympic Games follow the Olympic Games and are held over twelve days, from August 28 to September 8.
The medals feature a view of the Eiffel Tower from below and Paris 2024 is stamped in Braille in honor of the Frenchman who invented the writing system.
“We want to make sure that those pieces of the Eiffel Tower stay at home,” added French wheelchair tennis player Pauline Deroulede.
Another home favourite, wrestler Koumba Larroque, admitted he is now desperate for a medal after seeing them up close.
“Seeing them so close gives some extra motivation,” he said.