The medals up for grabs at this year’s Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games will all contain a small piece of the Eiffel Tower.
The big reveal came on Thursday and whether gold, silver or bronze, they will all feature a bit of one of France’s most iconic structures.
‘The jewel in the crown’
Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, explained: “There was a huge amount done to try to bring together these precious metals – gold, silver and bronze – with the most precious metal in the Eiffel Tower, the jewel in the French crown.
“So what’s specific about the 2024 medals is that meshing together, that fusion, that alloy.
“What’s impactful for this year will be having a part of the original Eiffel Tower metal, the iron, in these various medals, and so this is what we wanted to do, to infuse all these 2024 athletes with that metal.”
The medals have been created by Chaumet, the jewellery maker known worldwide for their incredible creations.
And the iron they contain has been taken from the Eiffel Tower during previous refurbishments.
On the reverse of the Olympic medals is Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, with the Acropolis to one side and the Eiffel Tower on the other.
The Paralympics medals are stamped with Paris 2024 in braille which is in homage to Frenchman Louis Braille, who invented the reading and writing system for visually impaired people.
Going for gold
The Olympic Games will take place from 26 July to 11 August, with men’s and women’s individual races set for 30 and 31 July at Pont d’lena, while the mixed relay will take place on 5 August at the same venue.
The Paralympics run from 28 August until 8 September, with the paratri events on the 1st and 2nd September.
Many of the reigning champions will return to defend their titles, with Team GB boasting the two individual winners from last year’s Olympic Test event in Alex Yee and Beth Potter.
Are we in a triathlon boom, or hurtling towards burnout? Laura Siddall on the growth of the sport
