Olympic medals are displayed during the unveiling of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games(Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
The Paris 2024 Olympics are firmly underway in the French capital and Team GB are looking to add a strong collection of gold, silver and bronze medals to their already impressive haul from previous games.
And Team GB have made a strong start to their latest Olympic campaign, with silver medals for the likes of Adam Peaty and Tom Daley from the first few days of competition.
The tradition of giving a bronze, silver or gold medal to the winning athletes of every event began at the St. Louis Olympic Games in 1904.
While the materials largely remain the same, the design of the medals changes for every Olympic Games. This is because the host city is allowed to choose the design of the medals for the year that the event is held in their country.
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So, what exactly are Olympic medal made from – and how much do they weigh?
What are Olympic medals made out of?
International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidelines state that gold medals should contain at least six grams of 24 carat gold coating, with the rest made up of silver.
Silver medals are made up of silver, whilst bronze medals consist of copper, zinc, tin, and small traces of silver.
Each Olympic medal on offer in Paris also contain original iron from the Eiffel Tower.
Iron components have been permanently removed from the tower during reconstruction work over the years.
The medals feature the iron as hexagons in the middle of the designs – the geometrical shape of France.
Explaining the design on the official Olympic website, the Games state: ‘This symbol is a reminder of the whole nation’s engagement in delivering an historic Olympic and Paralympic Games.
‘Stripped of its “Eiffel Tower brown” paint, the iron is returned to its original colour. Placed in the centre and imprinted with the emblem of the Paris 2024 Games, this piece of heritage fits perfectly within the gold, silver and bronze core of the medal.’
Although the design of the medals changes for every Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee regulations stipulate that all medals must include the Olympic five rings symbol; Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, in front of the Panathinaikos Stadium and the official name of the respective Games somewhere in the design.
How much do Olympic medals weigh?
The gold medals weighs 529 grams each; silver medals weigh 525g and bronze medals weigh 455g.
The medals have a diameter of 85 millimeters and a thickness of 9.2 millimeters.
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