Olympic Games Paris 2024: Medals made from the Eiffel Tower to a purple track, 5 unique things about the athletic gala

The Olympics Games 2024 in Paris commenced on Friday, July 26 with Lady Gaga taking the lead for the opening ceremony, held along the horic River Seine. The Olympic medal carrying a bit of the Eiffel Tower; the purple Olympic track: 5 unique things about the Olympic Games Paris 2024(Photos: X) In a rare resurgence, an elegant Celine Dion closed out the hallowed ceremony, one of the most ambitious dos in Olympic hory to-date, spelling the start of the games. As the best-in-class athletes from the world over gear up to give it their best and potentially bring home an Olympic honour, here’s taking a look at 5 things which makes the Paris Olympics truly one of its kind. The medals are made of the Eiffel Tower, literally!What could possibly be cooler than winning an Olympic medal? Well there is an answer to that. The Olympic medals that will be used to honour the winners across the 329 events scheduled till mid-August, quite literally carry a piece of the iron work from the Eiffel Tower, salvaged across its many renovations and maintenance routines in the 20th century. To be more specific, the gold medals weigh 529 grams, the silver medals weigh 525 grams and the bronze medals weigh 455 grams. Of this, the iron work from the Eiffel Tower makes up for 18 grams. The gesture is akin to carrying a piece of France’s most prized landmarks on one’s chest. The Olympic medals carry a piece of the Eiffel Tower in them(Photo: X) Not just this, the design of the medals are also directly inspired from the national monument. The blue ribbons for the Summer Olympic medals carry lattice-work, much like the ribbing for the Eiffel. Additionally, the medals, designed luxury jewellers Chaumet and produced the Monnaie de Paris, have been crafted to catch the light, a reference to Paris being ‘the city of lights’. A similar and slightly altered brief has been followed for the Paralympic medals, which will be carrying a red ribbon. A royal track”It’s light, it’s bright, and there’s a wish to run fast” — that is how Alain Mondel, former European decathlon champion and now head of athletics at Paris 2024, described the Olympic running track. When one speaks of a running track, the first (and only) colour that pops into one’s head is the age-old brick red, or some not too dant variation of it. This year’s Olympics however, is set to shake up that mental cue. In a first for Olympics hory, all 9 running tracks in Paris will be purple. The mix of lavender, dark purple and grey was largely an aesthetic-aligned choice with the intent to present something truly out-of-the-box to the world, affirmed Mondel. However, even more cutting-edge is the technology involved in the track, the work of Mondo, Italian manufacturers who have been entrusted with producing the Olympic track since 1976. Co-curated with the expertise of physics, chems and engineers, the track costs somewhere between €2m and €3m. For context, this amounts to over ₹18 crores INR! A greener and cleaner OlympicsHaving a piece of the Eiffel Tower incorporated in medals is not just poignant, but also part of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) vision for sustainability. Other major efforts include using 95 per cent pre-exing, renewable energy-powered venues as well as offering a 60 per cent vegetarian menu. Coffee tables made from shuttlecocks, drone-like buoys to protect important water-based ecosystems (in relation to the aquatic events) and the decision to donate items like the 16,000 mattresses and pillows for reuse, among other efforts, easily make this the most innovatively planned Olympics to-date. Breaking and Kayak Cross to make their Olympic debutBreak dancing is now an official Olympic sport! Being referred to as ‘Breaking’, the now Olympic-approved sport will have 16 B-boys and 16 B-girls, battle it out in a series of dance-offs. While the women will compete on August 9, the men will compete on August 10. Incidentally, though international competitions for Breaking have been around since the 1990s, this is the first time it will find its spot in the Summer Olympics. Breaking is all set to make its Olympic debut in Paris(Photo: Olympic Games Paris 2024) Also joining the short and exclusive l of Olympic debuts is Kayak Cross. Kayak Cross represents a crossover of the disciplines of Kayak and Canoe Slalom. It is worth noting that Kayak and Canoe Slalom have been a part of the Olympic Games for over 50 years, albeit separately. Kayak Cross will also be making its Olympic debut at Paris this year(Photo: Olympic Games Paris 2024) Olympic Games Paris 2024 has been a century in the makingThe last time Paris played host to thousands of athletes for the Olympics was in 1924. A 100 years on, things appear to have come full circle with the Olympic Games returning to the city of lights. Not just this, Olympics 2024 is the third time Paris turns host after 1900 and 1924. It now stands tied with London, which has also hosted the keynote athletic gala a total of 3 times so far — 1908, 1948 and 2012 to be specific. Are you excited to keep up with the Olympics?