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The winners of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris will receive such a gold medal
Photo: Thomas Samson / AFP
All medals from the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics will be decorated with an original piece of the Eiffel Tower. The organizers said on Thursday that each of the 5,084 medals in gold, silver and bronze contained a hexagonal piece of iron in the center that was once part of the symbol of the French capital.
"We wanted to give all medal winners a piece of the Eiffel Tower from 1889," said Tony Estanguet, former Olympic canoe slalom champion and head of organization for the games in Paris. The medals are "a combination of the most precious metals gold, silver and bronze and our country's most precious metal, the Eiffel Tower."
The iron comes from a Paris warehouse where the operating company stores remaining pieces of the 330-meter-high tower. These have been removed over the years during maintenance. "There were more than enough of them," said Thierry Reboul, who is responsible for the ceremonies at the Olympic Games.
The medals were designed by jewelry and watch designer Chaumet. The medals have several grooves that are intended to catch the light and resemble the rays of the sun. The shape of the iron hexagon symbolizes mainland France.
For the first time there is no opening in the stadium
The Summer Olympics will take place from July 26th to August 11th in the greater Paris area, with the Paralympic Games taking place from August 28th to September 8th. The organizers expect more than 15 million visitors, around 15 percent of them from abroad.
For the first time in their history, the Olympic Games will not open in a stadium, but in an open-air ceremony on the Seine. More than 100 boats carrying the international athlete delegations will sail down the river on a six-kilometer route - past Parisian landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower. However, due to security concerns, a smaller number of spectators than originally planned was recently announced.
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