The medals at the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games will each contain a small piece of the famous Eiffel Tower.
When the badges were presented on Thursday (February 8, 2024), the organizing team spoke of a “meeting of the most sought-after object of the games with the symbol of France and Paris”.
The Eiffel Tower is one of the most popular attractions in France. Every year around seven million people visit the monument, which is also known in France as the “dame de fer” (“lady of iron”).
Second life after Renovation work
The medals were developed by the French fine jeweler Chaumet. At their center, all 5,084 badges bear 18 grams of the Eiffel Tower. The more than 130-year-old tower not far from the Seine was built for the Paris World Exhibition and completed in 1889.
During renovations in the 20th century, some parts of the tower were removed and carefully preserved, according to Olympic organizers. Now they would get a second life in the medals. The iron plates are in the shape of a hexagon, which is also used as a synonym for France in French because of the country’s similar shape. The precious metal of the 9.2 millimeter thick and 85 millimeter large medals is shaped like rays around the iron. The badges weigh between 455 and 529 grams.
The Olympic Games in Paris will be held from July 26th to August 11th. The Paralympic Games run from August 28th to September 8th.