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Paris 2024 Olympics medals unveiled, each with a little piece of the Eiffel Tower right in the middle
Paris — There’s another metal on offer for winners at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. In addition to the customary gold, silver and bronze, each winner’s medal will feature a small piece of iron straight from the Eiffel Tower. Small chunks of the iconic tower — an instantly recognizable symbol of Paris and of France — have been included in the medals to mark 100 years since the City of Light last hosted the Olympic Games.
Organizers unveiled the medals Thursday, just six months before the Paris games are set to get underway.
Every individual medal has at its center a hexagon of iron from the tower. They all come from pieces removed from the structure during different renovations over the last century. The pieces of metal were carefully preserved, and the organization in charge of the Eiffel Tower’s preservation donated them to the Paris Olympic committee to create the unique medal designs.
Jean-François Martins, President of the Société d’Exploitation de la tour Eiffel, said at the unveiling that he hoped the athletes would appreciate the “unforgettable souvenir of Paris” made from “this unique metal.”
The Eiffel Tower is made entirely of a special type of iron known as “puddle” iron. Manufactured in forges and blast furnaces in Lorraine, eastern France, the cast iron produced by reducing iron ore is refined with an operation called “puddling.” By removing the excess carbon still present in cast iron, puddle iron is made into an almost pure material, which is extremely strong.
The tower was erected in 1889 as part of the Universal Exhibition. Designed by Gustave Eiffel, it was originally intended to be a temporary structure, but it captured so much attention that officials decided to keep it standing on the bank of the River Seine.
The Olympic and Paralympic medals were designed by craftworkers at the famous Chaumet House of Jewellery, which is part of the luxury LVMH group. It’s the first time in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games that a jeweller has designed the medals.
“The Maison Chaumet creative team has conceived each medal as a jewel, taking inspiration from the Parisian craftsmanship of its legendary Place Vendôme workshops and illustrating the vocation shared by all the Houses in our group: the ability to make people dream,” said Antoine Arnault, of LVMH Image & Environment. “We hope that each athlete will enjoy wearing and admiring the medal as much as we enjoyed creating it for them.”
“A symbol of excellence, a source of motivation, of surpassing oneself and of ultimate achievement, medals are much more than objects: They represent the apotheosis in the career of elite athletes,” said Tony Estenguet, President of Paris 2024. “Their power to fascinate and inspire goes far beyond the circle of athletes.”
Estenguet also noted that the Paris 2024 organizers had said from the start that they wanted to bring the Olympic and Paralympic Games closer together. The torch design is the same for both and, to continue that philosophy, the medals for both Games share a common face, the side with the hexagon of iron from the tower.
The other side is different. The Olympic medals feature the goddess of victory, Nike, emerging from the Panathenaic Stadium, where the Olympic Games were revived in 1896. In a nod to 2024, the Eiffel Tower is seen in the background, along with the Acropolis.
The Paralympic medals feature a low-angle view under the Eiffel Tower. In keeping with the spirit of inclusion in the Games, the inscriptions “Paris” and “2024” are written in universal Braille — the script invented by Frenchman Louis Braille. And to ensure the three different metals can be distinguished by touch, lines are engraved on the edge of each medal, I for gold, II for silver and III for bronze.
The design of Olympic medals has become standardized to a degree, with each featuring the goddess Nike and the Olympic rings, as well as the name of the games in question and the discipline or sport concerned. Each organizing committee is free to adapt the primary design and choose a unique design for the reverse side, however. There is no standardization of the Paralympic medals.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will run from July 26 until Aug. 11, and the Paralympic Games from Aug. 28 through Sept. 8.
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Open: This is “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Oct. 6, 2024
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Kamala Harris will speak with “60 Minutes” tomorrow. Here’s what to know for the interview.
Voters will get the chance to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday as she presents her case for why she should be president in a “60 Minutes” election special.
For decades, “60 Minutes” has featured both Republican and Democratic nominees for presidents, but this year, former President Donald Trump backed out after previously indicating he would be on the show. Correspondent Scott Pelley, who’d been set to interview Trump, will instead travel to Arizona’s Maricopa County, home to more than 60% of Arizona’s voters and a critical battleground in a key swing state.
One thing is certain about the election; with the U.S. deeply involved in both the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, whoever wins on Nov. 5 will become a wartime president.
What Harris will discuss
Israel’s war started one year ago after Hamas launched a surprise terror attack and correspondent Bill Whitaker will discuss the ongoing war with Harris.
Harris will also discuss the economy, immigration, her record as vice president and the differences between herself and Trump.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz will also appear.
Whitaker joined the Democratic ticket on the campaign trail this week to gain insight into their platform’s priorities and values, and what the candidates believe voters should know.
Why Trump pulled out of the “60 Minutes” interview
Leading up to the candidate hour, Trump, through campaign spokespeople, was the first candidate to accept the “60 Minutes” request to be interviewed for the special, according to CBS News. It had been agreed that both candidates would receive equal time during the broadcast.
Trump last sat down with 60 Minutes in 2020. He walked out during the interview with Lesley Stahl. Trump referenced the incident on Tuesday night at a Milwaukee press conference when asked about his decision not to participate in the Oct. 7 “60 Minutes” election special.
“Well, right now, I went to – they came to me and would like me to do an interview, but first I want to get an apology, because the last time I did an interview with them, if you remember, they challenged me on the computer,” Trump said. “They said the ‘laptop from hell’ was from Russia, and I said it wasn’t from Russia. It was from Hunter, and I never got an apology, so I’m sort of waiting. I’d love to do ’60 Minutes.’ I do everything.”
The Republican nominee for president emphasized that he felt he was owed an apology from “60 Minutes.”
“Let’s see if they do it. I wouldn’t mind doing 60,” Trump continued. “I’ve done ’60 Minutes’ a lot.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said that Trump’s team had not agreed to an interview.
“Fake News,” Cheung said in a post on X. “60 Minutes begged for an interview, even after they were caught lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop back in 2020. There were initial discussions, but nothing was ever scheduled or locked in. They also insisted on doing live fact checking, which is unprecedented.”
Previous Trump, Harris appearances on 60 Minutes
Trump previously sat down with “60 Minutes'” Mike Wallace in 1985, Pelley in 2015 and Lesley Stahl twice in 2016, first in July of that year and then again in November of 2016. He also spoke with Stahl again in 2018 and 2020.
Harris previously sat down with Whitaker last year. She also was interviewed by Norah O’Donnell, “CBS Evening News” anchor and “60 Minutes” contributing correspondent, in 2020.
How to watch the “60 Minutes” election special
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Kamala Harris discusses U.S. relationship with Israel
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