An Olympic gold medal represents the maximum recognition for an athlete’s achievements. The symbolism of these medals is legendary. They symbolize the best that humanity can achieve in terms of sporting endeavors. Olympic competitors dream of standing on the podium with their eyes shining as bright as the medal hanging around their neck. But, are the medals the Olympic winners receive actually made of gold? What are the Olympic medals made of?
Faster, Higher, Stronger
The motto of the Olympic Games will resonate around the world this summer when the worldwide competition starts in Paris. We all have witnessed the wonderful expression of achievement when the athletes, after winning first place, receive a gold medal. It is an exciting moment that inspires and echoes through centuries of sporting feats. For the participants of this extraordinary event, this moment represents the pinnacle of their careers and the culmination of years of effort and discipline. Finally putting their hands on the olympic gold means making a dream come true.
The History of Gold in Olympic Medals
Gold jewelry was first produced more than six millennia ago, around 4600 BC. Since then, owning gold products is an indicator of social status. Similarly, the organizers of the Olympic Games reflected on how to reward the elites of the sporting world.
However, gold wasn't always the first option. Sports history books point to silver as the chosen option for the first competitors, until the end of the 19th century. It was in the Olympic Games of St. Louis, Missouri (USA) in 1904, when gold medals began to be given to the winners of different disciplines. This marked the beginning of the tradition of giving gold, silver and bronze medals for first, second and third places, respectively.
Not All That Glitters is Gold
For the Paris Olympic Games 2024, the renowned French jewelry maker Maison Chaumet was in charge of the meticulous preparation of all the gold, silver and bronze medals that will be awarded, whereas the Paris Mint was in charge of their coinage.
Despite their indisputable beauty, the Olympic gold medals are not made with solid gold. The last solid gold medals were awarded at the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games (Sweden). Since the Olympic Games in Antwerp (Netherlands) in 1920 and until today, all the gold medals are actually made almost entirely of silver, with a gold plating that gives them their golden appearance. For example, for the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, the gold medals contained 99.9% pure silver and just 6 grams of gold in the form of a thin outer layer.
More Meaning than Economic Value
Purity will always be a central theme of the conversation when it comes to gold products and, in that sense, the Olympic gold medals are not exempt. The real value of Olympic gold medals lies in their prestige and what they symbolize in terms of the sporting feats that support them. Their emotional charge and estimated meaning is what makes their value incalculable, not the amount of gold they actually contain.
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