Olympics
The participants in the Olympic and Paralympic Games next summer have an extra motivation: each of the more than 5,000 medals contains 18 grams of original metal from the Eiffel Tower.
The Paris 2024 organizing committee unveiled the medals for the Olympic and Paralympic Games on Thursday. Remarkable: every athlete who ends up on the podium will receive a piece of the Eiffel Tower hung around their neck. Each slice contains 18 grams of original metal from France’s most famous monument.
“The idea was to link the Games to symbols of France,” said Thierry Reboul, the creative director of Paris 2024, at the performance. “The Eiffel Tower is the absolute symbol of this city and this country. It is the opportunity for the athletes to take a piece of Paris home with them.”
The iron hexagon, which represents the national borders of France and is incorporated in the center of the 5,082 gold, silver and bronze medals, was created from parts removed from the tower during previous renovations. The 330 meter large monument dates back to 1889, so parts of it regularly need to be renovated. The Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel made the material available.
The Olympic Games take place from July 26 to August 11. The Paralympic Games follow two weeks later, from August 28 to September 8.(dsd)