For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, every Olympic and Paralympic given to the athletes will be made out of the iron of the Eiffel Tower.
For thousands of athletes across the globe, Olympic medals are the Holy Grail. They are a part of history and their importance in the world of sports spans many different generations and sporting exploits. For Paris 2024, the decision was made to amalgamate two of the most iconic symbols into one, the medals of the Olympic Games and the Eiffel Tower which is the strength of the French Nation.
Subsequently, to make this happen, Chaumet, expert jewellers recognised the world over for their elegance and importance to the French craft of jewellery making, was chosen to create the medals.
For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, every Olympic and Paralympic medal will be adorned with a highly symbolic and invaluable piece of metal. It will be the original iron used in the construction of the Eiffel Tower.
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The idea was to link the Games with the symbols of France, said Thierry Reboul, creative director of Paris 2024. “The absolute symbol of Paris and France is the Eiffel Tower,” Reboul told reporters. “It’s the opportunity for the athletes to bring back a piece of Paris with them.”
The Olympic medals usually follow a theme. Last time around, the medals were moulded from metal extracted from recycled consumer electronics as part of the Tokyo 2020 Medal Project, which involved Japanese citizens donating electronic devices for the cause.
For the Paris medals, the original iron of the Eiffel Tower is cut into a hexagon, the geometric shape that evokes France to the point of being its nickname. Stripped of its Eiffel Tower brown paint, the puddle iron has been restored to its original colour. Placed in the centre and embossed with the emblem of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, this piece of heritage blends with gold, silver and bronze to give the medals a two-tone side.
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Designed by jeweller Chaumet, the 18-gram hexagon tokens represent the shape of France. Interestingly, all the medals are made of iron taken from the Tower during past refurbishments and then stored for years in a warehouse whose location is secret, as per Reuters. They sit in the centre of the gold, silver and bronze medals, ringed with grooves evoking light rays bursting outward – drawn from a tiara design in Chaumet’s archives.
The three design elements on the back side are the hexagon with the iron from the Tower, the radiance, and the setting. The radiance is represented by fine lines (rays) projected at regular intervals around the iron hexagon, adding a 3D effect. The hexagon is finally linked to the medal by a “claw setting”. Six metal appendages are stamped on the surface and placed at the six corners of the hexagon to enclose the piece of iron against the medal. The claws are reminiscent of the rivets on the Eiffel Tower.
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The IOC stipulates that the front side of Olympic medals (obverse) must have Nike – the Greek Goddess of Victory – standing in the Panathinaiko Stadium and the full name of the Games edition. That is no different for Paris as well.
For the Paralympic medals, a graphic representation of a low-angle view under the Eiffel Tower will be used. The words “Paris” and “2024” frame the pillars of the Tower and are written in universal Braille. To enable the three metals to be distinguished by touch, lines are engraved on the edge of the medal won: I for gold, II for silver and III for bronze.
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The 5,084 medals are produced by France’s mint. Interestingly, the first medals of the modern Olympic Games presented in Athens in 1896 were designed by a Frenchman. Now, the mantle of the finest craftsmanship again falls into the hands of the same country to adorn the athletes with such decorative beauties.
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