Paris 2024 Medals: Past the image of excellence
On the finish of July, the world’s greatest athletes will collect in Paris, and people who reach distinguishing themselves among the many elite will proudly show the image of sporting excellence on their chests: Gold, silver and bronze medals. These Paris medals have a wealthy historical past.
The medals that may adorn the chests of the world’s greatest athletes have been just lately unveiled. They symbolize the top of sporting achievement. From the 2 medals awarded to the winner and runner-up (silver and bronze, as there was no gold on the time) on the first fashionable Video games in Athens in 1896, to the three medals and 5 diplomas awarded in the present day as symbols of sporting excellence.
These Olympic Video games could have the distinctive distinction of incorporating into the medals a consultant a part of Paris, France and Europe, as a number of the most necessary symbols shall be embedded in every medal gained by the athletes.
French designer Chaumet, whose dad or mum firm LVMH has signed a significant contract with the organisation, was tasked with showcasing the grandeur that French officers anticipate their nation to show at these Summer time Video games.
The long-lasting jeweller embedded a fraction of metal from the Eiffel Tower to satisfy the goals of honouring the sacrifices of the athletes and the greatness of Paris, represented by its final image, the Eiffel Tower. On the request of the Organising Committee, France’s most well-known jewelry home has integrated a chunk of the Tower to provide the medal its splendour and grandeur.
The hexagonal medal with the symbol of Paris and France shall be worn with delight, or not less than that’s the intention of the Organising Committee, which wished a design with an emblem that represented Paris and France. Thus the thought was born that the deserving recipient of a medal ought to be capable of put on a chunk of French greatness, symbolised by the Eiffel Tower.
Every medal shall be adorned with this hexagonal piece of iron from France’s most iconic image, and all those that take the rostrum in Paris will take with them an genuine piece of historical past. In line with a press launch, “sure metallic components” have been faraway from the monument throughout renovations within the twentieth century and “have since been fastidiously preserved”. The distinctive darkish brown paint that at the moment adorns the Eiffel Tower was then eliminated and the items lower into hexagons earlier than being engraved with the Paris 2024 brand.
France needs its third Olympic Video games to go down in historical past as the most effective, or not less than higher than London 2012. From a really particular ceremony exterior a closed venue for the primary time, to a ship trip on the athletes’ opening day to create a dynamic and distinctive opening day in historical past, together with occasions in French Polynesia to showcase not solely its magnificence but in addition the greatness of the nation.
After all, France couldn’t be left behind when it got here to the creation of medals, which has turn out to be more and more necessary to the assorted organisers of the Olympic Video games lately. From the straightforward medals awarded at first (silver and bronze/copper in Atlanta in 1896), to the primary Olympic Video games with out medals have been awarded (Paris in 1900), to part of every Olympic and Paralympic Video games in the present day. It has taken a very long time. If we test the historical past books, we discover that the primary specifically commissioned medals have been awarded in Amsterdam in 1928, and this lasted for 44 years.
The primary specifically designed medals featured the standard goddess of victory on the obverse, holding a crown in a single hand and a palm department within the different. The reverse confirmed a victorious Olympic champion being carried by the gang.
It took a few years till Munich 1972 to switch it. It could possibly be mentioned that it was the defining second within the present significance of medals. With out Munich, what adopted wouldn’t have been the identical.
The designers modified the reverse of the medals to incorporate a special design created by an artist of the Bauhaus motion. They managed to depict Castor and Pollux, the dual sons of Zeus and Leda.
One other necessary second in historical past was Seoul 1988. Right here, within the spirit of the Olympic Video games, an emblem of peace and unity was created. It was a easy picture, however no much less necessary as a result of it despatched a message of peace to the world. The reverse of the South Korean medals was engraved with the picture of a dove holding a laurel leaf in its beak – an everlasting emblem of the Video games.
In 2004, the Video games returned to Athens for the primary time in 108 years, they usually needed to be celebrated in model. For the primary time because the Amsterdam Video games in 1928, a major change was made to the medals.
As a substitute of the seated goddess Nike holding an ear of corn, the Athens 2004 medals confirmed her flying into the stadium to convey victory to the most effective athletes. The primary Olympic Video games to be held within the big nation of China had their very own peculiarity; they integrated the Chinese language image: Jade (an historical valuable stone).
Along with the standard gold, silver and bronze, a dragon design was engraved on the reverse of every medal. The design of the medal was chosen to symbolise the Aristocracy, advantage, ethics and honour.
Japan, then again, didn’t wish to be left behind within the symbolism of the medals and positioned sustainability on the coronary heart of the medal venture. Whereas Junichi Kawanishi’s designs used lovely light-reflecting patterns to symbolise the vitality of the athletes on the Video games, the supplies used to create the medals for the latest Video games in Japan made it an much more formidable endeavor.
The Tokyo 2020 Medal Challenge will recycle a complete of 78,985 tonnes of discarded digital tools, from which 30.3kg of gold, 4,100kg of silver and a pair of,700kg of bronze shall be extracted and reused to create the medals, demonstrating that the Video games are way more than a sporting occasion, however can be used to boost consciousness and set a social instance.
