What are Olympic medals made from? Gold, silver and bronze designs revealed

The Paris 2024 Olympics are set to get underway in the French capital this weekend and Team GB will be looking to add a strong collection of gold, silver and bronze medals to their already impressive haul from previous games.

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.

So, what exactly are Olympic medal made from?

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 will 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.