The Olympic and Paralympic medals at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris will have a uniquely French twist.
Paris 2024 organizers revealed Thursday that every medal will feature a piece of original iron from the Eiffel Tower at its center, allowing athletes to take home a piece of French history if they win gold, silver or bronze.
The medals were designed by Chaumet, the luxury jewelry designer that is part of the Louis Vuitton group, and will be manufactured at the French mint. Organizers said they are the first medals to be designed by a jewelry company − and, naturally, the first to include an actual piece of the host country’s iconic landmark.
‘The Paris 2024 medals have been designed like real pieces of jewelry: On both sides, they will show the most beautiful face of France,’ said Tony Estanguet, the president of Paris 2024. ‘With their piece of the Eiffel Tower, they will be totally unique, creating a genuine link between the medal-winning athletes and our country.’
The Eiffel Tower was constructed in 1889 ahead of a world’s fair in Paris and has undergone several rounds of renovation work in the more than 100 years since. During some of those renovations, metal from the tower was removed and preserved. Now, organizers wrote in a news release, the Olympic medals will provide a unique way to give those old metal bits ‘a second lease of life.’
Athletes who earn a medal at this summer’s Games will receive a certificate of authenticity from the company that operates the tower, the Société d’Exploitation de la tour Eiffel.
‘The Eiffel Tower, the daughter of Paris and site of major world events, had to be used to provide athletes with an unforgettable souvenir of Paris,’ the operating company’s president, Jean-François Martins, said in a statement.
Paris 2024 organizers will produce 5,084 medals for both the Olympics and Paralympics this summer. The back side of the Olympic medals will feature a rendition of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, with the Olympic rings above her and the Eiffel Tower in the distance. The Paralympic medal will depict a low-angle view of the Eiffel Tower and feature the word ‘Paris’ and ‘2024’ written in Braille − a nod to the writing system invented by Louis Braille, who was French.
Each medal has a hexagonal piece of the original Eiffel Tower at its heart, weighing about 18 grams. They will be affixed to the medal by six claws, the type of setting that one would usually find in a piece of jewelry.
‘Having a gold medal is already something incredible. But we wanted to add this French touch and we thought that the Eiffel Tower would be this cherry on the top,’ Joachim Roncin, head of design at the Paris Games organizing committee, said according to The Associated Press. ‘Having a piece of it is a piece of history.’
The medals are one of several ways in which Paris 2024 organizers are attempting to shine a spotlight on France’s iconic sights during the Games. Equestrian events will be held at the Palace of Versailles, for example, while beach volleyball matches will be played in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. The opening ceremony will feature athletes on barges floating down the Seine River.
The Games open July 26.
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @Tom_Schad.
