As the the medal count tallies up for Team USA, many see athletes on the podium and wonder: what’s in that gold box they are holding?
Jessica Fox, who competed in Canoe Slalom for Australia, recently took to her social media accounts to reveal what’s inside the mysterious, rectangular box given to 2024 Olympics athletes who medal.
In her video, Fox unboxes an official an athlete edition of the official 2024 Olympics poster.
“Usually, we get the mascot or flowers,” Fox said in the video. “This time, it’s a little bit more unique, and I think it’s a really cool concept.”
The poster is the official poster for the 2024 Paris Olympics and it’s designed by French artist Ugo Gattoni, according the Olympics.com.
“The entirety of the posters were produced manually, without any AI assistance,” Olympics officials said. From the first pencil stroke to the last splash of colour, everything was done by hand. This is why each character in the crowd is unique.”
According to officials, Gattoni had total creative freedom over the poster, which took four months and 2,000 hours to complete.
Once the initial sketches were approved, Gattoni said he “went into detail.”
“I added buildings, changed the background, put in the shadow,” Gattoni said. “I added the Tahiti wave and included Marseille,” he recalled, pointing to each element with precision.”
The poster also contains eight hidden mascots, officials said — an item medal-winning athletes also receive after reaching the podium.
After the ceremony, according to Olympics.com, medal winners receive a gold, silver or bronze medal-winning mascot, the Olympic Phryge. On the belly, a medal emblem is sewn on.
How to watch the 2024 Olympics
While the time difference between the U.S. and France might mean you can’t always catch the action live, you’ll still be able to watch the big moments — either on television, via streaming or in primetime coverage.
When do the Olympics end?
Events will actually begin competition as early as July 24. The Games end with the Closing Ceremony on Aug. 11.
Shortly after, the Paralympics are scheduled to take place Aug. 28-Sept. 8.
Team USA: Who to watch
While many highly anticipated events have concluded, have week two of the Olympics is underway, with more big Games to come. Here’s the remaining schedule for 2024 Paris Olympics.