What's the ominous gift at the Olympic Trials?
The medal around the neck and a gift in the hand, that's what all winners receive at the Olympic Games. But what's inside the long box? And then there's also the mascot - in a very special version.
The medals are the most important thing that the athletes receive during the award ceremonies. Gold, silver, and bronze - the metals that dreams are made of. But at the Olympic Games, they receive something else. Not the mascot, as is often the case at awards. That would be a somewhat awkward-looking red plush figure with big eyes, a smile, and feet for the title fights in Paris. Instead, it's a Phrygian cap, a symbol of freedom, important in the history of France.
No, what the athletes receive is not a plush figure, but something that seems undefined at first glance. Elena Lilik, the slalom canoeist who won silver for Germany on Wednesday, holds this thing next to her medal, beaming into the cameras. It's a cardboard box, which can be easily recognized by taking a closer look at the long package in the athletes' hands. But what's inside? Macarons, the French sweet that is often sold in long packages? Well, sugar for athletes is rather unlikely.
And no, there's no sugar in it, the present is not perishable. It's the official poster of the Olympic Games. The French illustrator Ugo Gattoni has designed a Where's Waldo-style picture that shows the locations of the competitions. "We tried to be different and imagine posters that look like us, posters that go beyond just a logo," said Tony Estanguet, the president of Paris 2024. "His colorful world captures the entire richness and diversity of our project," he explained in March at the presentation at the Musée d'Orsay. "It shows the main symbols of Paris 2024, as well as numerous references to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and to Paris and France."
In the middle of the colorful poster, you can see the Eiffel Tower, with the Grand Palais beside it, both surrounded by the Seine. Geographically, artistic freedom clearly takes over when Marseille, the venue for the sailing competitions and some football matches, is practically right on Paris's doorstep. Gattoni is said to have spent 2,000 hours on the design.
After the ceremony on the winner's podium, after the national anthem of the Olympic champion, there's an additional gift - and that's the mascot. Away from the audience, they are finally given the Phrygian cap. Its special version is reserved for medal winners, as it has the gold, silver, or bronze medal embroidered on the belly. The shoes are also in the corresponding color.
The athletes in Paris will receive a special version of the Phrygian cap as an additional gift during the award ceremonies for the Olympic Games 2024. This cap features the medal they won embroidered on its belly and shoes in the corresponding color.
Upon receiving their awards at the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris, the winners will find an official poster of the games inside their cardboard box, a gift designed by French illustrator Ugo Gattoni.
(Note: The second sentence is a direct continuation of the previous text, following the discussion about the additional gift, which is the poster.)
