What's in That Mysterious Box That Olympic Medalists Receive on the Podium?
And the real question: Can we have what's inside?
Published Aug. 7 2024, 3:53 p.m. ET
Gold Medalist Kellie Harrington of Team Ireland celebrates on the podium during the Women's 60kg Boxing medal ceremony after the Women's 60kg Final match on Day 11 of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Roland Garros on Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris.
What's in the box?! What's in the boooox?!
No, we're not quoting that scene from Seven (or actually yes we are, but that's besides the point). We're really just trying to figure out what's in the box that Olympic medalists are given at the podium.
That's right — we're talking about those mysterious rectangular boxes that medalists receive after they've won big.
Well, let it be a mystery no more, as we delve into its secrets...
What is in the box that Olympic medalists receive?
You may have noticed while watching the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris that when athletes receive their medals, they're also given a long, rectangular box that contains a map to Treasure Island. (Kidding.)
It actually contains something pretty cool, though.
Inside the box is a gorgeous poster designed by French illustrator Ugo Gattoni. And there are actually two versions of the poster — one for the Olympics and one for the Paralympics — which can be combined together to make one seamless piece of art, but also work independently of each other.
According to the Olympics website, the poster "depicts a fantasy city that also serves as a gigantic stadium, within which sit the capital’s monuments, symbols of France, various Paris 2024 competition venues and several different sports and key figures."
Gattoni made sure to incorporate symbols of the Games, including the Olympic rings, the Agitos, and Stoke Mandeville, as well as symbols of the Paris Olympics, such as the Olympic flame’s arrival in Marseille aboard the Belem and the mascots. The artwork also captures iconic elements like the Eiffel Tower, Marianne, the Patrouille de France, and the Paris Metro, along with the many sports represented at the Games.
Gattoni put 2,000 hours of work into the beautiful pieces, which he worked on in his studio from September 2023 to January 2024. And you'll be happy to know that there was no AI involved, with everything created manually, which is why you can see such incredible details on each character in the crowd.
Gattoni also said he hid eight mascots within the posters. So if you're in the mood for a fun challenge, go ahead and see if you can try to spot them all!
Can I buy the Olympic box medalists receive at the podium?
Now that you know what’s inside the box (you can check that off your to-do list), the next question you might have is: "Can I buy it?" The answer is yes, at least the poster! While the poster inside the box was once available for purchase on the official Olympic Shop website, you might have trouble getting your hands on one now. However, you may be able to snag one on resale sites like eBay.
Some other Olympic-themed items available for purchase include pins and apparel, though we doubt you’ll be able to find the Snoop Dogg Olympic pin—especially since the rapper himself didn’t even know where to find it.
