What’s in the gold box being given to Olympic medal winners?
Along with their medals, Olympians typically receive a bouquet of flowers or other gift at the time of their championship ceremonies. Viewers of the Paris Olympics have noticed something a little different, however.
Images of Paris medal ceremonies show officials presenting medal winners with what appears to be a gold box or bar. According to Olympic organizers, the gift is a box and inside it is the official poster for the 2024 Olympics. It was designed by Ugo Gattoni, an artist known for his detailed works drawing on surrealism and mythology.
The poster took four months and more than 2,000 hours to complete. All of the artwork was done manually and each character shown on the poster is unique, organizers said.
You can buy a copy from the Paris 2024 store here.
A separate poster was also created for the Paralympic Games.
In addition to the poster, medal-winning athletes also receive a gold, silver or bronze medal-winning mascot. Made in France at the Doudou & Compagnie factory in La Guerche-de-Bretagne, the gold, silver or bronze medals are represented by the medal emblem sewn onto the mascot’s belly and by the color of the mascot’s tennis shows and by the text “Bravo” in French on the back of the Phryge.