Photo courtesy of Paris 24
The 2024 edition of the Summer Olympics is right around the corner, with the games scheduled to start in Paris on July 26 and running through August 11. This year’s incarnation will mark the third time that the City of Lights has held the summer games, and marks 100 years since the last games were held there.
Hundreds of athletes from across the globe will gather in Paris to compete in dozens of competitions in the grandest display of sportsmanship and brotherhood that humanity is graced with every four years. The aim is to prove themselves against the best in the world for a chance at sports immortality – the best of the best also compete for one of the most illustrious prizes in all of sports, the Olympic medal.
“A symbol of excellence, a source of motivation, of surpassing oneself and of ultimate achievement, medals are much more than objects: they represent the apotheosis in the career of elite athletes,” said Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024 in a news release. “Their power to fascinate and inspire goes far beyond the circle of athletes. I see it when I take them with me on a trip, particularly in the eyes of children.”
Paris 2024, working in concert with the Paris 2024 Athletes Committee, has worked to ensure that this year’s medals are the most unique ever. In an effort to marry the strongest symbol of the Games with the figurative heart of Paris and of France, the groups collaborated with world-renowned jeweler House of Chaumet to create something truly unique. To do so, they revamped the design to include real pieces of metal from the Eiffel Tower itself in each one.
“Thanks to Chaumet, the Paris 2024 medals have been designed like real pieces of jewelry: on both sides, they will show the most beautiful face of France” Estanguet said. “With their piece of the Eiffel
Tower, they will be totally unique, creating a genuine link between the medal-winning athletes and our country.”
Real iron from the Eiffel Tower was salvaged from past renovation work and has been carefully preserved ever since. Erected in 1889 as part of the Universal Exhibition, the Eiffel Tower is an indelible symbol of Paris, and is one of the most recognized landmarks in the world.
“The Paris 2024 medals will represent the coming together of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, said Estanguet. “We are delighted and proud to present the medals for the Games of Paris 2024!”
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