• What's in the Box Medalists Get at the 2024 Paris Olympics?

    Sports
    What's in the Box Medalists Get at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
    Gattoni's design features a fantastical cityscape that evolves into a grand stadium, incorporating iconic Parisian landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, River Seine, and Arc de Triomphe.

    Digital Desk: Athletes at the Olympics are not only honored with medals on the podium but also receive an intriguing gold box. The contents of this box have generated much curiosity.

    The slender, 40-centimeter box is said to contain the official poster for the 2024 Paris Olympics, according to the Olympics official website. This poster, created by renowned illustrator Ugo Gattoni, involved nearly four months and 2,000 hours of meticulous work, as detailed in an interview on Olympics.com in March.

    Joachim Roncin, the director of design for the 2024 Paris Olympics, described his vision for the poster on Olympics.com, aiming for it to convey multiple messages and rich symbolism. "There are many small details, stories within the stories," he explained.

    Gattoni's design features a fantastical cityscape that evolves into a grand stadium, incorporating iconic Parisian landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, River Seine, and Arc de Triomphe. The design also includes symbols of the Games like the Olympic rings, Agitos, and Olympic medals, as well as representations of various sports including diving, breaking, and swimming.

    In a novel approach for the Summer Games, both the Olympic and Paralympic posters were designed collaboratively, as reported on the Olympics website. Although each poster is impactful individually, Gattoni's designs create a unified image when combined.

    Additionally, medalists will receive a plush toy mascot inspired by Phrygian caps, featuring the medal's color and the French word "Bravo," as outlined on the Olympics website.

    This year’s Olympic medals also have a unique touch: each gold, silver, and bronze medal contains an 18-gram hexagonal piece of iron from the Eiffel Tower, integrating a distinctive and memorable element into the traditional awards.