This summer time in Paris, 10,500 of one of the best athletes from across the globe will compete throughout 32 totally different sports activities for the final word prize: an Olympic gold medal.
As billions of viewers all over the world watch the hope, glory and defeat, competing on the Olympic Video games is the second these athletes skilled a lifetime for.
To those athletes, the worth of profitable a gold medal on the Olympic Video games might by no means be measured in {dollars}, however the intrinsic worth of the medal most definitely can.
So, simply how a lot is an Olympic gold medal truly price?
If the Olympic gold medals awarded to the victors this summer time in Paris had been fabricated from pure gold, the intrinsic worth can be simply north of $41,000.
Spoiler alert. The gold medals aren’t fabricated from pure gold.
Because of the surging worth of treasured metals costs over the a long time, the final time pure gold medals got out was in 1912.
In the present day, the price of the mixed metals in a 2024 Olympic gold medal totals about $950. That features gold, silver and even a bit of iron from the Eiffel Tower in Paris! Each the gold and silver medals are made with over 95% silver.
Wanting Again
The historical past of the Olympic Video games has deep roots in historical Greece, starting in 776BC. Spanning twelve centuries, the video games passed off each 4 years.
From farmhands to troopers and royal heirs, all free Greek males had been allowed to compete within the video games. The cherished occasion lasted 5 days and included competitions for operating, leaping and throwing, boxing, wrestling, pankration (a mix of boxing and wrestling) and chariot racing. It’s estimated that 40,000 spectators packed into the stadium every day to witness the dramatic occasions.
There are just a few variations within the Olympic guidelines from again then to at present.
For instance, on the historical Greek Olympic Video games all athletes competed bare as a tribute to the Greek God Zeus. They needed to indicate off their bodily energy and muscle mass to the gods.
Again then, there was no first, second and third place—just one winner for every occasion. As a substitute of a medal, the winner obtained a crown fabricated from olive leaves. Plus, as soon as they arrived again of their hometown, they got a money present roughly equal to $100,000 at present. Not too shabby.
Different variations between the traditional video games and at present? Corporal punishment was given to these responsible of a false begin on the monitor. And, for athletes competing in fight sports activities, give up was achieved by elevating their index fingers. Generally, the athletes died earlier than they may do that. Fortunately, instances have modified.
Simply Like Uncommon Cash, Olympic Medals Characteristic Distinctive Designs
So, what’s featured on fashionable Olympic medals? In line with custom, the design of the Olympic medals falls to the host metropolis’s organizing committee. Meaning each Olympic Video games medals function a distinct and distinctive design, identical to uncommon cash! The Paris 2024 medals function the Olympic flame, and the face of Marianne—a cherished image of the revolution and the individuals of France. The phrases “Paris Olympics” and the Olympics emblem of 5 rings are featured underneath the logo.
Try just a few photographs under of previous Olympic medals.
Beijing 2022
London 2012
Atlanta 1996
All medal photographs courtesy of Olympics.com
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