Medals of the 2024 Olympics to Contain Iron Fragment from the Eiffel Tower
Organizers of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris unveiled the gold, silver, and bronze medals that will be awarded to the winners and participants of the competitions. A unique feature of these medals is that each of them contains a metal fragment from the Eiffel Tower, as reported on the Olympics website.
The gold medals for the upcoming Olympic Games weigh 529 grams and are not made of pure gold, but rather crafted from silver and coated with 6 grams of gold. Silver medals weigh 525 grams, while bronze ones weigh 455 grams and are made from a blend of copper, tin, and zinc.
The design of the medals was developed by the French jewellery house Chaumet with the aim of giving the awards a unique character and linking them to the symbolism of France.
At the centre of each medal lies a hexagonal fragment of the Eiffel Tower, weighing 18 grams. Each of these fragments was obtained from the Eiffel Tower during previous repairs and was kept in a secret location for years.
The geometric shape of the medals symbolizes France, often referred to as the "hexagon" due to the outlines of its borders. The six small clasps holding the iron parts of the medals allude to those securing the Eiffel Tower.
The obverse side of the medals features the Greek goddess of victory Nike, as well as the Pantheon and Olympic rings, with the Eiffel Tower itself in the background.
On the reverse side of the Paralympic Games medals, there is a view of the Eiffel Tower from below, along with the inscription "Paris 2024" in Braille, in honour of the French inventor of tactile language for people with visual impairments.
Earlier, The Gaze reported that a Czech magazine had developed a "bloody collection" for "neutral" Olympians from Russia and Belarus. "Sport is intertwined with politics, and even more so with Russia. Putin, a zealous and very bad hockey player, uses athletes to promote his terrorist regime. The best athletes - tennis players at international tournaments, NHL hockey players, figure skaters, weightlifters, fencers, footballers, and others - help him promote and justify bloodshed in wars around the world," the magazine said.
The International Olympic Committee has decided to allow representatives from Russia and Belarus to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris as neutral athletes. According to IOC representatives, they will be allowed to compete under the five rings on an individual basis if they meet the qualification criteria and other conditions. Although participants in the Games are not required to openly support the war in Ukraine or have ties to Russian military or police, it is worth noting that hundreds of Ukrainians will be unable to participate in the Olympics simply because Russians killed them in their homes.