A piece of the Eiffel Tower to be given to triumphant athletes at this year's Olympics, as Paris 2024 reveal medals ahead of the Games

The medals for the Paris Olympics have been revealed to the publicThis year's Games in the French capital are set to begin in less than six months Podium finishers will have a piece of the Eiffel Tower embedded in their medal 

Triumphant athletes at this year’s Olympics will be rewarded with a piece of the iconic Eiffel Tower after the medals for the Paris Games were revealed on Thursday.

The two-week global spectacle is set to get underway in less than six months, with the opening ceremony taking place on July 26, before the final events are wrapped up on August 11.

And competitors now know exactly what they will earn if they finish on the podium.

A hexagonal piece of iron taken from the Eiffel Tower has been embedded in each gold, silver and bronze medal, and Thierry Reboul, the creative director of Paris 2024, has explained the thinking behind the design.

‘The absolute symbol of Paris and France is the Eiffel Tower,’ Reboul told reporters.

Athletes who finish on the podium at this year’s Olympics will receive a piece of the Eiffel Tower after the medals were revealed on Thursday

A hexagonal piece of iron taken from the Eiffel Tower will be embedded in every medal

French athletes Arnaud Assoumani (left), Marie Patouillet (second left), Sara Balzer (second right) and Paris 2024 head Tony Estanguet (right) pose with the Olympic medals

Paris 2024 said the inclusion of a piece of the Eiffel Tower will allow athletes to bring part of the city back with them

‘It’s the opportunity for the athletes to bring back a piece of Paris with them.’

The 18-gram medals have been designed by jeweller Chaumet, and are ringed with grooves evoking light rays around the outside of the inner hexagonal structure.

The Greek goddess of victory, Nike, also features on the back of the medals, in a nod to where the Games first began in Athens in 1896.

She is seen charging forward, with the Acropolis to one side and the Eiffel Tower to the other.

Meanwhile, medals for the Paralympics have also been revealed for the public to see.

The Paralympics follow on after the Olympics and will be held across 12 days from August 28 to September 8.

The medals contain a view of the Eiffel Tower from below, and have Paris 2024 stamped in braille to honour the Frenchman who invented the writing system.

‘We want to make sure those pieces of Eiffel Tower stay at home,’ French wheelchair tennis player Pauline Deroulede added.

Another home favourite, wrestler Koumba Larroque, admitted he is now desperate to get hands on a medal after seeing them up close and personal.

‘Seeing them so close gives some extra motivation,’ he said.

Security has been one of the main concerns in the build-up to the Games.

The biggest security operation will be around the opening ceremony on July 26, which for the first time is not being held inside a stadium.

The spectacle is taking place along the River Seine, where a flotilla of boats will carry the athletes and around 400,000 spectators will watch from the banks for free, with another 100,000 paying for tickets.

More than 35,000 police officers will be deployed in Paris on the night, while a new anti-drone laser system will also be in place because of the risk of bomb-carrying drones.

‘I can tell you that the public authorities and ourselves are committed every day,’ said Paris 2024 chief executive Etienne Thobois.

‘No stone is being left unturned, there is not one building that hasn’t been scrutinised.’