Route Paris 2024: Olympic logo and medals

Sunday, August 11, 2024, is the final day of the Olympic Games in Paris. It was a major sporting event starring TeamNL. The Games emblem and medals were visible on various media channels (TV, radio, streaming) from July 26 to August 11, 2024. Do you know the story behind the designs of the logo and the medals?

Once again, no Dutch Olympiad stamp

The Netherlands performs poorly again regarding the absence of an Olympiad stamp for 2024. No stamp was planned for the Tokyo Games (2020 and 2021) either. The last Olympiad stamp was for the Rio Games in 2016. Most consider this issue the 'ugliest Olympiad stamp'. A total lack of creativity and PostNL choosing the easiest route.

During the Paris Games, TeamNL ultimately reached sixth place in the medal table with 34 medals (15 (gold), 7 (silver), 12 (bronze)).  

Belgium is issuing an Olympiad stamp.

Athletes falling into each other's arms after delivering a top performance. That embrace is central to the stamp issue surrounding the Olympic Games in Paris. The official 'The Embrace' logo of Team Belgium for the Summer Games in Paris, designed by Alexa Fairchild, combined with a sports stadium. Sheet margin: Embracing athletes combined with the Team Belgium logo. With gold printing on the sheet. The logo is also used on the Team Belgium clothing of the athletes. During the Paris Games, Team Belgium ultimately reached 25th place in the medal table with 10 medals (3 (gold), 1 (silver), 6 (bronze)).

Designing medals

The chairman of the organizing committee of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Tony Estanguet, unveiled the Olympic and Paralympic medals for the Games in February 2024, featuring hexagonal scrap iron coins embedded on the obverse, sourced from the original construction of the Eiffel Tower, with the Games logo engraved on them. Approximately 5.084 medals were to be produced by the French mint Monnaie de Paris and were designed by Chaumet, a luxury jewelry company based in Paris. The reverse side of the medals shows Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, in the Panathenaic-stadium where the first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896. The Parthenon and the Eiffel Tower are also visible in the background on both sides of the medal. Each medal weighs 455–529 g (16–19 oz), has a diameter of 85 mm (3,3 inches), and is 9,2 mm (0,36 inches) thick. The gold medals are made of 98,8 percent silver and 1,13 percent gold, while the bronze medals are made of copper, zinc, and tin.   Every Olympic and Paralympic medal is set with a piece of original iron from the Eiffel Tower. “La Tour Eiffel,” built between 1887 and 1889, has undergone countless renovations since then. Certain metal elements were permanently removed and preserved in this process. For the Paris 2024 Games, the Eiffel Tower Operating Company is allowing these authentic pieces of Parisian and French history to regain their former glory. Paris 2024 called upon LVMH jeweler Chaumet to design its medals. Chaumet, known worldwide for his craftsmanship, has transformed the medal into a true jewel, with a construction conceived around three sources of inspiration: the hexagon, the luster, and the gemstone setting. The original iron of the Eiffel Tower was formed into a hexagon — the geometric shape of France itself. This symbol is a reminder of the entire nation's involvement in delivering a historic Olympic and Paralympic Games. Stripped of the “Eiffel Tower brown” paint, the iron has been restored to its original color. Placed in the center and printed with the emblem of the Paris 2024 Games, this piece of heritage fits perfectly into the gold, silver, and bronze core of the medal. Regarding copyright of the medal images, please refer to the links at the bottom of the blog. Check the seals featuring the medal designs.  

Emblem / logo Paris

The face of the Paris 2024 Games is the result of the meeting of three symbols: a gold medal, a flame, Marianne. Each of these symbols expresses a facet of our identity and our values, with, for the first time in history, a common emblem for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The emblem for the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games was unveiled on October 21, 2019, at the Grand Rex. It is a representation of Marianne, the national personification of France, formed with a flame. The emblem also resembles a gold medal. Tony Estanguet explained that the symbolism of the emblem was intended to reflect the core concepts of “the power and magic of the Games”, sport, and “for people”. For the first time, the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games will share the same logo as their corresponding Olympic Games without distinction, reflecting a shared “ambition” between both events. Regarding copyright of the logo images, please refer to the links at the bottom of the blog. Check the stamps featuring the logo.  

<strong> More info: </strong>

Medal design: https://olympics.com/en/video/the-medals-paris-2024 Paris Logo: https://olympics.com/en/video/paris-2024-emblem-three-iconic-symbols-marianne