Athletes who clinch medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics will not only be taking home a prestigious award but also a unique piece of history. The medals, set to be awarded starting July 26 in Paris, are embellished with fragments of the Eiffel Tower, a landmark deeply associated with the City of Light.
Each gold, silver, and bronze medal features an 18-gram hexagonal piece of iron from the Eiffel Tower, which was originally built for the 1889 World's Fair.
This innovative design choice was spearheaded by the French jewelry house Chaumet and reflects a creative collaboration between the Paris 2024 Olympics organizing committee and the Eiffel Tower Operating Company.
Joachim Roncin, head of design for the Paris Games organizing committee, explained the inspiration behind the design. “The Eiffel Tower is a global symbol, and we wanted to incorporate a piece of it into the medals,” he said.
“We approached the Eiffel Tower Operating Co. to see if it was possible to use a bit of the tower in the medals, and they agreed.”
Approximately 5,084 medals were prepared for the Games, with about 2,600 allocated for the Olympics and 2,400 for the Paralympics. Each medal contains a piece of iron from the tower, taken from parts replaced during previous renovations and stored for future use.
The design of the medals includes a hexagonal chunk of iron set in the center, secured by six metal appendages.
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