The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will not only mark a memorable milestone in the history of sport, but also in the world of medal design. In honor of the return of the Games to France, each Olympic and Paralympic medal will include a piece of the Eiffel Tower, creating a profound connection between this object, the ultimate goal of many athletes, and the iconic monument of Paris and France.
A piece of the Eiffel Tower set like a jewel
This innovative initiative is the result of an exceptional collaboration between Paris 2024 and the Chaumet jewelry house, part of LVMH group. Together, they reimagined the design of the medals as veritable pieces of jewelry, integrating the Eiffel Tower in a unique way. It is a first in Olympic history.
The Eiffel Tower, the daughter of Paris and major world events, wished to give athletes an unforgettable souvenir of Paris. Using this unique metal from the Eiffel Tower gives the medal a historic aspect and a nod to Pierre de Coubertin, who, as a contemporary of Gustave Eiffel, was one of the last people to visit the Tower’s construction site before it opened.
The metal from the Eiffel Tower set in the Olympic and Paralympic medals is derived from parts of the monument’s structure removed during renovation works during the 20th century. It is called puddle iron, an almost pure form of iron with excess carbon removed through a process known as puddling, and was produced by the Pompey forges and blast furnaces in Lorraine.
A 0.6 oz piece of puddle iron is set in the center of each medal, in its natural color and reshaped into a hexagon, a geometric form which represents France.
The omnipresent Iron Lady
The Iron Lady also inspired the unique design of the ribbon that will allow athletes to wear their medals with pride. For the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, the medal ribbon features the Eiffel Tower’s latticework. And the red of the ribbon for the Paralympic medals evokes the original colors of the Eiffel Tower: Venetian red and red-brown.
The monument is also present on the other side of the medals.
As explained by Paris 2024 for the Olympic medals: “A traditional feature of the medals, Nike the goddess of victory is represented in the foreground, in front of the Panathenaic Stadium that witnessed the revival of the Olympic Games in 1896. The Acropolis is also depicted, another essential feature of this side of the Olympic medals. Especially for Paris 2024, it is not alone in the background, which also features the Eiffel Tower mirroring the Acropolis on the other side of the stadium. In this way, the inspiration of the ancient Games in Greece, the French origins of the modern Olympic Games and their next edition in Paris are all represented.”
On the other side of the Paralympic medals is a pure reflection of Paris 2024 and Chaumet’s creative choices. It features an original graphic representation of the Eiffel Tower’s structure from an upward perspective, as seen by thousands of visitors every day when they arrive on the esplanade.
The 5,084 gold, silver and bronze medals will be minted in the heart of Paris, by the Monnaie de Paris – 100 years after the medals for the 1924 games!
It is an extraordinary adventure, and the Eiffel Tower is proud to be a part of it.
Photo credits:
© PARIS 2024 / CYRIL MASSON
