Profitable an Olympic gold medal is taken into account a crowning achievement for an athlete, so it’s solely becoming that the bodily medal represents the importance.
What’s on every gold medal is particular for each Olympic Video games, however Paris 2024 is especially notable as a result of, when athletes win gold, they’ll take residence a chunk of the Eiffel Tower, an iconic landmark of the host metropolis.
The Eiffel Tower performed a significant function within the Paris 2024 opening ceremony. From beaming lights and the Olympic rings to the comeback efficiency of Celine Dion, “La Tour Eiffel” showcased its grandeur to the world. And now, will probably be a part of the athletes’ medal collections.
What else is exclusive about these gold medals and the way are they linked to the Eiffel Tower? Right here’s what to know.
What number of Olympic medals are created?
Round 5,084 medals have been developed for Paris 2024, per a number of experiences, which notice that roughly 2,600 medals have been created for the Olympics and a couple of,400 for the Paralympics.
How a lot do the Olympic gold medals weigh?
The gold medal weighs 1.17 kilos. The silver medal, by comparability, weighs 1.16 kilos whereas the bronze is one pound.
Who designed the Olympic gold medals?
Chaumet, the French luxurious jewellery and watch model, designed the Olympic medals. Based in 1780, Chaumet is owned by LVMH (Moët Hennessey Louis Vuitton).
What options are on the Olympic gold medals?
The Olympic gold medal consists of three options: the hexagon, radiance and setting.
In the midst of the medal is a hexagon. It pays homage to France’s nickname “L’hexagone” given the nation’s roughly six-sided form.
The hexagon is surrounded by a number of strand-like shapes. This symbolizes the radiant gentle, as Paris is sometimes called the “metropolis of sunshine.”
On the six edges of the hexagon are claw settings. The form is much like these discovered within the rivets on the Eiffel Tower.
Olympic rings have been illuminated on the Eiffel Tower in the course of the opening ceremony of 2024 Video games in Paris. (Photograph: Ludovic Marin – Pool / Getty)
What’s the Eiffel Tower connection?
The Eiffel Tower was the defining fixture of the 1889 World Honest. The unique tower was made with wrought iron.
When the Eiffel Tower underwent renovations within the twentieth century, they preserved items of the unique iron and saved them in storage. These chunks make up the hexagon determine in the course of the Olympic gold medal.
In accordance with a number of experiences, 0.04 kilos of iron renovation items from the Eiffel Tower are included in every medal.
Gold, silver and bronze medals started on the 1904 St. Louis Olympic Video games. It’s estimated that 1,011 medals — by way of the Video games’ medal depend — shall be handed out at Paris 2024 (extra medals have been developed to account for group occasions). That is the primary time a chunk of a metropolis’s historic landmark is included in an Olympic medal.
How a lot is an Olympic gold medal value?
In accordance with Forbes, a Paris 2024 Olympic gold medal is value roughly $950.
What occurs on the medal ceremony?
The gold medal is positioned across the successful athlete’s neck atop the rostrum. The athlete additionally receives a stuffed memento of the Paris 2024 mascot. Then, the nationwide anthem of the successful athlete’s nation performs — a convention that started for gold medalists at medal ceremonies in 1932.
Required studying
Extra on the 2024 Paris Olympics from The Athletic…
(Photograph: Thomas Samson / AFP through Getty Photographs)
