Why athletes bite their medals at the Olympics

The Paris 2024 Olympics are finally upon us with over 10,000 of the finest athletes in the world set to do battle over 32 sports across 19 action-packed days.

Fans can expect to see sporting triumphs and physical accomplishments most mere mortals could only dream of, and as a reward for their hard work and commitment, several will take home gold, silver and bronze medals.

While most of us understand the practice of being awarded medals and posing on the podium, what might seem a little odd is the customary pose involving athletes biting their medals.

The practice has become common in everyone from Olympians to Premier League footballers. But why exactly do athletes bite their medals?

Why do Olympians bite their medals?

The reason for athletes gnawing into their gold, silver and bronze medals has changed over time.

Traditionally, because gold is softer and more malleable than other metals, one way to determine whether or not it was real gold was to bite into it — if it’s authentic, your teeth would have left an indentation.

Today, most medal winners aren’t going to be too hung up on if it’s actual gold or not as it’s what the medal symbolises that matters.

For what it’s worth, Olympic gold medals aren’t full gold. They are required to be made from at least 92.5% silver, and must contain a minimum of six grams of gold.

So why do they still chow down into their medal?

It’s all about the optics, of course.

‘It’s become an obsession with the photographers,’ David Wallechinsky, president of the International Society of Olympic Historians, told CNN.

‘I think they look at it as an iconic shot, as something that you can probably sell. I don’t think it’s something the athletes would probably do on their own.’