Medal winners at Paris Olympics to take piece of Eiffel Tower home

The idea was to link the Games with symbols of France, said Thierry Reboul, creative director of Paris 2024.

"The absolute symbol of Paris and France is the Eiffel Tower," said Reboul. "It's the opportunity for the athletes to bring back a piece of Paris with them."

Designed by jeweller Chaumet, the 18-gram hexagon tokens, representing the shape of France, are made of iron from past refurbishments of the Tower stored for years in a warehouse whose location is secret.

They sit in the centre of the gold, silver and bronze medals, ringed with grooves evoking light rays bursting outward – drawn from a tiara design in Chaumet’s archives.

The back of the medals feature the Greek goddess of victory, Nike, charging forward with the Acropolis to one side and the Eiffel Tower to the other.

Paralympics medals feature a view of the Eiffel Tower from underneath, and are stamped with Paris 2024 in braille – homage to the Frenchman who invented it.

The 5,084 medals are produced by France’s mint, the Monnaie de Paris.

"We want to make sure those pieces of Eiffel Tower stay at home," French wheelchair tennis player Pauline Deroulede told reporters. "Seeing them so close gives some extra motivation," added another home nation athlete, wrestler Koumba Larroque.