The 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Medal designs have been revealed. Each medal has a small piece of iron from the Eiffel Tower right in the middle.
The #Paris2024 Olympic and Paralympic medals. I think they'll wind up being viewed as iconic. Maybe a bit too big.
The Paralympic medals back might be one of the best medal designs I've ever seen.
(Olympic medals first, Paralympic medals second) pic.twitter.com/Y6QKWBEpk2
— Braden Keith (@Braden_Keith) February 8, 2024
The medals were designed by the Chaumet House of Jewellery, a luxury jewelry and watch brand which is headquartered in Paris. The backs of both the Olympic and Paralympic designs are the same, each featured with a hexagon-shaped piece of iron.
This iron comes directly from the Eiffel Tower. The iron was able to be collected during renovations over the last century as the pieces have been preserved and since donated to the Paris Olympic committee. Every year, the Eiffel Tower undergoes renovation and maintenance work which closes the upper part of the tower.
The fronts of the Olympic and Paralympic medals are different. The front of the Olympic medal features the Greek goddess of victory, Nike. The front of the Paralympic medal resembles a low-angle view from under the Eiffel Tower.
According to the IOC, 5,084 medals were made. They are 85 millimeters in diameter and 9.2 millimeters thick. Each medal, regardless of place features 18 grams of iron from the Eiffel Tower. The IOC has rules that each medal must be at least 60 mm in diameter and 3 mm thick. Notably, the last three Summer Olympic medals have been 85 mm in diameter, meaning the Paris medal is the same as London, Rio, and Tokyo.
The medals range from weights of 455 grams (bronze) to 529 grams (gold) while the silver medal is 525 grams. This is around the range of the Rio and Tokyo medals, although much heavier than the London (357-412 grams) and Beijing (200 grams) medals.
These are some of the best medal designs I’ve seen! The front of the Paralympic medals look like you’re standing under the Eiffel Tower and looking up