“A Piece of History”: 2024 Paris Olympic Medals Include Chunks of Eiffel Tower

Winners at the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be taking home a piece of Paris, not only in their hearts but also in their hands: Each of the 5,084 gold, silver, and bronze medals contains an 18-gram hexagonal chunk of iron from the Eiffel Tower.

Completed in 1889, the City of Lights’ iconic landmark has undergone numerous renovations, and certain metallic elements were removed and preserved in the process. Sections of the original iron, stripped of its brown paint, have found new life in the medals.

“The concept came after a few discussions. We realized that there’s one symbol known across the world, which is the Eiffel Tower,” Joachim Roncin, head of design at the Paris Games organizing committee, told the Associated Press earlier this year.

On one side of the Olympic medals is the iron, engraved with the phrase “Paris 2024” and the Olympic rings and flame. On the other is an image of Greek goddess of victory Nike standing in the Panathenaic Stadium, where the 1896 Games were held, with the Eiffel Tower and the Acropolis of Athens in the background.