Podium finishers at the upcoming Paris Olympics will be rewarded with a piece of the Eiffel Tower unveiling the event's medals which are set with hexagon-shaped tokens forged out of scrap metal from the monument.
Designed by jeweler Chaumet, the 18-gram hexagon tokens, representing the shape of France, are made of iron from past refurbishments of the Tower stored for years in a warehouse which location is secret. They sit in the center 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 back of the medals features the Greek goddess of victory, Nike, charging forward, with the Acropolis to one side and the Eiffel Tower to the other. Paralympics medals feature a view of the Eiffel Tower from underneath, and are stamped with Paris 2024 in braille — homage to the Frenchman who invented it.
The 5,084 medals are produced by France's mint, the Monnaie de Paris.
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