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Winning an Olympic gold medal is considered a crowning achievement for an athlete, so it is only fitting that the physical medal represents the significance.
What’s on each gold medal is special for every Olympic Games, but Paris 2024 is especially notable because when athletes win gold, athletes will take home a piece of the Eiffel Tower, an iconic landmark of the host city.
The Eiffel Tower played a major role in the opening ceremony of Paris 2024. From shining lights and the Olympic rings to Celine Dion’s comeback performance, ‘La Tour Eiffel’ showed its grandeur to the world. And now it will be part of the athletes’ medal collections.
What else is unique about these gold medals and how are they connected to the Eiffel Tower? Here’s what you need to know.
How many Olympic medals are made?
According to multiple reports, approximately 5,084 medals have been developed for Paris 2024, noting that approximately 2,600 medals have been created for the Olympic Games and 2,400 for the Paralympic Games.
How much do the Olympic gold medals weigh?
The gold medal weighs 1.17 pounds. For comparison, the silver medal weighs 1.16 pounds, while the bronze medal weighs one pound.
Who designed the Olympic gold medals?
Chaumet, the French luxury jewelry and watch brand, designed the Olympic medals. Founded in 1780, Chaumet is owned by LVMH (Moët Hennessey Louis Vuitton).
What characteristics are on the Olympic gold medals?
The Olympic gold medal consists of three characteristics: the hexagon, appearance and setting.
There is a hexagon in the center of the medal. It pays tribute to the French nickname “L’hexagone”, given the roughly hexagonal shape of the country.
The hexagon is surrounded by several strand-like shapes. This symbolizes the radiant light, because Paris is often called the ‘city of light’.
Claw settings are located on the six edges of the hexagon. The shape is similar to that of the rivets on the Eiffel Tower.
Olympic rings were illuminated on the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Games in Paris. (Photo: Ludovic Marin – Pool / Getty)
What is the Eiffel Tower Connection?
The Eiffel Tower was the defining element of the 1889 World’s Fair. The original tower was made of wrought iron.
When the Eiffel Tower was renovated in the 20th century, they kept pieces of the original iron and kept them in storage. These chunks form the hexagonal figure in the center of the Olympic gold medal.
According to multiple reports, each medal includes 0.04 pounds of iron renovation pieces from the Eiffel Tower.
Gold, silver and bronze medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis. It is estimated that 1,011 medals will be awarded in Paris 2024 (in terms of the number of medals awarded during the Games) (more medals have been developed for team events). This is the first time that part of a city’s historic monument has been included in an Olympic medal.
How much is an Olympic gold medal worth?
According to Forbes, an Olympic gold medal in Paris in 2024 is worth about $950.
What happens during the medal ceremony?
The gold medal is placed around the neck of the winning athlete on top of the podium. The athlete will also receive a filled souvenir of the Paris 2024 mascot. The national anthem of the winning athlete’s country will then be played – a tradition that began for gold medalists during medal ceremonies in 1932.
Required reading
More about the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris from The Athletics…
(Photo: Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images)