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What's in the Box that Olympic Winners Get along with their Medals?
A medal isn't the only thing winners will take home at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
With the 2024 Paris Olympics now fully underway, top athletes across the world are competing for coveted Olympic medals—but it isn’t the only prize they’ll receive.
As eagle-eyed fans have noticed, the athletes who earned a place on the podium are also handed a mysterious long, thin rectangular box along with either a gold, silver or bronze medal (which fans may have noticed come in cases made by Louis Vuitton.)
The box has been sparking the curiosity of fans everywhere who are eager to find out what’s inside ever since the medal ceremonies began July 27, 2024.
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The answer, according to Olympics.com, is an official poster for the 2024 Paris Olympics designed by French artist Ugo Gattoni.
Gattoni shared with Olympics.com that it took him almost 2,000 hours over four months to create the colorful hand-drawn poster that’s meant to tell the story of the Paris Olympic Games through a series of small details and symbolism.
The posters incorporate the playful style that Gattoni is known for. Aside from the iconic Paris landmarks and details of Olympic events, Gattoni also hid eight mascots inside the poster’s image. The designer told Olympics.com that he “can’t wait” to see how the poster is received.
“I’m very happy with it,” he said.
Each Olympic athlete who earns a medal will be given the poster as part of their award on the podium, but it isn’t the only way to get your hands on the historic poster. It’s also for sale through the Olympic shop.
Do Olympic Athletes Receive Any Other Prizes?
Olympic medal winners will also receive a plushie of the 2024 Paris Olympics’ official mascot, the Phryge.
The mascot is inspired by the Phrygian cap, a hat that was often worn as a symbol of freedom by 18th century French revolutionaries. The hat’s history extends back thousands of years and was even worn during the Trojan War.
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The mascot was created to look like a smiling version of the famous red cap.
Each mascot plushie is made in France at the Doudou & Compagnie factory in La Guerche-de-Bretagne, according to Olympics.com.
The stuffed keepsake either has a gold, silver or bronze medal sewn into its belly, to correspond with the medal each athlete will take home, and has the word “Bravo” in French written on its back.
The Paralympic version of the plushie has “Bravo” written in braille on the back.
