Paris is set to make history at the upcoming summer Olympics and Paralympics by awarding medals that are truly one-of-a-kind. In a revolutionary design, each gold, silver, and bronze medal will be inlaid with a piece of the iconic Eiffel Tower. This means that not only will Olympic and Paralympic athletes achieve sporting greatness, but they will also take home a tangible piece of France's rich history.
The decision to use fragments of the Eiffel Tower in the medals was inspired by the recognition that the tower is a universally recognized symbol of both Paris and France. Joachim Roncin, head of design at the Paris Games organizing committee, explained, 'We realized that there's one symbol known across the world, which is the Eiffel Tower. We said to ourselves, 'Hey, what if we approached the Eiffel Tower Operating Co. to see if it's possible to get a bit of the Eiffel Tower to integrate into the medal?''
