When an athlete wins a medal at the Olympic Games, they take their rightful place on the podium, proudly wearing their gold, silver or bronze medal. However, at the Paris Games, Olympians on the podium are also given a slim, gold box. What’s inside?
In addition to their medal, the Olympic participants will receive the official poster of the Paris Games, which is contained in the 40-centimeter box, according to the official Olympic Games website.
A video shared by the NBC Olympics and Paralympics X account on August 2 explains that the posters are a new gift for athletes.
“In the past, host countries have given athletes things like stuffed animals, so this is a new item that medal winners can take home,” the spokesperson explains in the video.
Australian canoeist Jessica Fox, who has already won two gold medals at this year’s Summer Games, showed the unique memorabilia up close in a TikTok video on July 31.
“A lot of people have been asking, ‘What’s in the box we get on the podium when we get our medals in Paris?'” Fox said in the clip.
“Usually we get the mascot or flowers, but this time it’s a little more unique and I think it’s actually a really cool concept,” she continued.
Fox unrolled her colorful poster with a gold detail and explained that it could be gold, silver or bronze depending on the athlete’s medal.
TODAY weatherman Al Roker unfurled the poster in a July 31 clip from Paris, showing his co-anchors Hoda Kotb, Craig Melvin and Savannah Guthrie the “beautiful piece of art.”
“It essentially represents the slogan ‘Games wide open’, the diversity of Paris and these Games, so it’s just beautiful,” he explained.
The poster was created by renowned illustrator Ugo Gattoni, who invested nearly four months and 2,000 hours in its design and production, the artist said in a March interview on Olympics.com.
Joachim Roncin, design director of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, told Olympics.com that he wanted “the poster to say countless things and be full of symbols.”
“There are a lot of little details, they are stories within stories,” he added.
Gattoni’s design depicts a “fantasy city” that doubles as a large stadium, featuring Parisian landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the Seine and the Arc de Triomphe. It also includes symbols of the Games such as the Olympic rings, the agitos and Olympic medals, as well as representations of several sports such as diving, breakdancing and swimming.
According to the Olympic Games website, this is the first time that both the Olympic and Paralympic posters have been designed together at the Summer Games. Although each poster can stand alone, Gattoni’s design creates a unique, unified image when combined.
Gattoni made the poster by hand and is “very happy with it,” according to his March interview on the Olympics website. He said at the time that he was looking forward to seeing “how much people appreciate it.”
According to the official website of the Olympic Museum, posters for the Olympic Games have been produced since the beginning of the 20th century. Not only do the athletes receive the special poster at the Olympic Games in Paris, but fans can also get one in the Olympic online shop.
In addition to the poster, according to the Olympic website, medal winners will also receive a plush mascot in the style of Phrygian caps in the color of their medal and with the French word “Bravo.”
While the Olympic medals are a traditional gift for victorious athletes, this year’s awards have an extra special touch: an 18-gram hexagonal piece of iron from the Eiffel Tower is incorporated into the design of each gold, silver and bronze medal.
The iron was removed from the landmark during previous renovations and gives each medal a piece of Parisian history, according to the video posted on August 2 by the NBC Olympics & Paralympics X account.
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This article was originally published on TODAY.com.
