What Olympic medals are really made of
Organizers of the 2024 Paris Olympics have offered a new medal to skateboarder Nyjah Huston after he called out the quality of his prize in an Instagram post. The Team USA athlete came third in the men's street final on July 29. In an Instagram post that has now gone viral, Huston joked that "medal looks like it went to war and back" and "even the front, it's starting to chip off a little."
Are Olympic medals really made of materials they represent?
Since his viral post, many have started to wonder if these Olympic medals are actually made of the materials they represent. The International Olympic Committee mandates that gold and silver medals must be composed of at least 92.5% pure silver. The gold medals for the Paris Olympics in 2024 contain six grams of gold plating and weigh a total of 529gm, while the silver medals weigh slightly less at 525gm.
Bronze medals: A blend of copper, tin, and zinc
Bronze medals, on the other hand, are an alloy made up of copper, tin, and zinc, with a total weight of 455gm. This makes the bronze medal just over a pound in weight. Unprotected bronze reacts with oxygen in the air, resulting in a dull patina. This could explain the corrosion of Huston's medal. The rate at which bronze degrades is determined by the metal composition of the alloy, while cheaper metals frequently accelerate the process.
Unique design elements in Olympic medals
Each medal is adorned with a piece of original iron from the Eiffel Tower, which Paris Olympics organizers describe as a "highly symbolic and priceless piece of metal." The metal is carved into a hexagon shape and stamped with a flame in the center above "Paris 2024" and Olympic rings. The back side of each medal shows the Games' resurrection in Greece, with Nike, the goddess of victory, emerging from the Panathenaic Stadium, where the Olympics were revived in 1896.
Estimated value of Olympic medals
According to Oxford Economics, the value of a gold medal is estimated at $1,027. If the gold medal was made entirely of pure gold, its value would be around $41,161.50, per Forbes. Silver and bronze medals are valued at $535 and $4.60 respectively, excluding the value of the Eiffel Tower iron. The firm predicts that by the next Summer Games in 2028, these values will increase to $1,136 for gold medals, $579 for silver medals and $5.20 for bronze medals.
Olympic medals' value expected to rise in future
By the Brisbane Olympics in 2032, they estimate that these values will rise further to $1,612 for gold medals, $608 for silver medals and $6 for bronze medals. Oxford Economics states, "With precious and industrial metals markets so buoyant, however, winning an Olympic medal this year should yield considerable investment value, besides the eternal glory associated with securing a podium spot." The last time pure gold medals were awarded was in 1912.
