What's inside mysterious box Olympic winners are given on the podium has been revealed
Joe Yates
Featured Image Credit: Andrzej Iwanczuk/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
If you've been watching the Paris 2024 Olympics, then you're probably itching to know WHAT is in the boxes that have been given to the winners?
At this year's Olympic Games in France, those who make the podium are handed a mysterious cardboard box measuring roughly 15 inches long.
Of course, if you finish first, second or third you also pick up a medal - gold, silver or bronze, with each medal contains a hexagonal piece of the Eiffel Tower set into it.
But it doesn't end there, as after the elite athletes climb down from the podium and are no longer in sight of cameras, they are awarded a medal-winning mascot.
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They are all manufactured in the north west of the country, at the Doudou & Compagnie factory in the small commune of La Guerche-de-Bretagne.
But what is the official mascot for this summer's sporting event?
It's called the 'Phryge', the pronunciation of which sounds an awful lot like 'fridge', and it is red stingray-looking teddy.
It's based on the Phrygian Cap which Marianne wore, and Goddess of Liberty and the female figure who's a symbol of the French Republic - dating back to 1775, and it is the country's version of Uncle Sam.
But each Olympian on the podium is awarded a mascot with the colour of their medal sewn onto its belly, and on its back the word 'bravo'.
So anyway, back to it - what is in the box?
I presumed it would be a small flute of champagne, or something alcoholic for those that drink, and for the athletes that don't... well, I wasn't sure.
What they are given, in fact, is something entirely different.
Inside the box and rolled up tightly and neatly is the official poster for the event.
The poster was created and designed by Ugo Gattoni, a Parisian artist whose illustrations capture viewers through his vibrant and playful style.
They were first unveiled back in March, but no one knew they were going to be the talk of the tournament at that point - okay maybe not the talk of tournament but everyone has been dying to find out.
Following a meeting with one of the Paris 2024 Olympics' top bosses in June 2023, he explained to the games' media team that he knew exactly what to do for the poster.
He said: “I immediately had an idea. I came home here to the studio and I already had the stadium in mind on my journey back. I wanted to make a Paris stadium. I had even already made a first sketch.
“I quickly added shadows to make it more meaningful and I pitched the idea to Joachim, who approved it."
After four months and 2,000 hours of work into it, he then began to go into detail.
Adding: “I added buildings, changed the background, put in the shadow. I added the Tahiti wave and included Marseille,” he recalled, pointing to each element with precision."
