Olympics Gold Medal Myth Busted: The Real Materials Revealed

Creating Olympic medals is a bit like crafting tiny masterpieces.

The process begins with casting, where molten metal is poured into molds to shape the medals. Next comes stamping, where intricate designs are pressed into the surface, capturing the spirit and uniqueness of the Games. Finally, polishing gives each medal its brilliant shine, ensuring it’s as dazzling as the athletes who earn it.

While athletes vie for gold, silver, and bronze medals, are these Olympic awards actually crafted from those materials? The myth has been debunked.

Although they’re called gold, silver, and bronze, they’re not actually made entirely of those metals.

Back in the day, Olympic gold medals were pure, solid gold, but that was a bit too pricey and impractical. So, to balance cost with durability, they switched to a more affordable mix. Now, gold medals are mostly made of silver, with a thin layer of gold plating. The gold content is about 6 grams, while the rest is silver, per Olympus.

Silver medals are truly made of pure silver, though they get a little extra shine with a thin layer of gold plating to match their name. On the other hand, bronze medals are a blend of copper and tin, typically about 95% copper and 5% tin, though the exact mix can vary a bit.

Each Olympic Games features a medal design that's uniquely crafted to reflect the host city's culture and the theme of the Games. These designs often showcase local artistry and symbols, making each set of medals a distinctive piece of the host country's heritage.

"The Eiffel Tower, the daughter of Paris and major world events, wished to give athletes an unforgettable souvenir of Paris," Jean-François Martins, President of Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel said. "Using this unique metal from the Eiffel Tower gives the medal a historic aspect and a nod to Pierre de Coubertin, who, as a contemporary of Gustave Eiffel, was one of the last people to visit the Tower’s construction site before it opened."

Staying true to tradition, the 2024 medals will be gold, silver, and bronze. But they’re not just any medals—unlike the roughly 36,600 awarded since the first modern Olympics in Athens 1896, these will each feature a unique touch of Paris.

For the 2024 Paris Olympics, the prestigious jeweler Chaumet, part of the LVMH group, has been tasked with designing the medals.

Known worldwide for its exquisite craftsmanship, Chaumet has transformed the medals into true masterpieces. The design draws from three main inspirations: the hexagon, which symbolizes France's shape; radiance, reflecting the brilliance of the Games; and gem-setting, adding a touch of opulence and elegance to the medals.

The 2024 Paris Olympic medals are designed to blend the city’s rich cultural heritage with the vibrant, modern energy of the Games.

Sparkling with Parisian flair, this year's medals will showcase iconic landmarks and artistic touches that capture the essence of French culture. Sports fans can expect to see nods to famous Parisian sights, rich historical motifs, and artistic inspirations that pay tribute to the city’s vibrant legacy.

But it won’t just be a blast from the past—these medals will also feature contemporary twists that blend tradition with a fresh, modern vibe, perfectly capturing the spirit of the 2024 Games.

Each medal will be adorned with a small piece of the city’s iconic charm and a symbol of France: the Eiffel Tower, making them a special keepsake of the Games. Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee, gave insight into how the designs of the Paris Olympic medals came to be.

“There was a huge amount done to try to bring together these precious metals - gold, silver, and bronze - with the most precious metal in the Eiffel Tower, the jewel in the French crown," Estanguet said. "So what’s specific about the 2024 medals is that meshing together, that fusion, that alloy…”

“What’s impactful for this year will be having a part of the original Eiffel Tower metal, the iron, in these various medals," he added. "And so this is what we wanted to do, to infuse all these 2024 athletes with that metal.”

While the opening ceremony kicks off on July 26, the first day to win Olympic gold, silver, or bronze is Saturday, July 27.