ladbible homepage
ladbible homepage
  • iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK
    • US
    • World
    • Ireland
    • Australia
    • Science
    • Crime
    • Weather
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV
    • Film
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • Netflix
    • Disney
  • Sport
  • Technology
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Money
  • Originals
    • FFS PRODUCTIONS
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content Here
  • SPORTbible
  • Tyla
  • GAMINGbible
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • FOODbible
  • UNILAD Tech
How much 2024 Paris Olympics gold medals are really worth

Home> News> Sport

Updated 13:42 29 Jul 2024 GMT+1Published 17:24 28 Jul 2024 GMT+1

How much 2024 Paris Olympics gold medals are really worth

Winning gold is every Olympic athlete's dream - but what is the numerical value of the top prize?

Tom Earnshaw

Tom Earnshaw

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

Winning an Olympic gold medal is the pinnacle for every athlete who gets the privilege of competing at the sporting event - but its numerical worth may shock you.

Held every four years, the two-and-a-half week event pits thousands of athletes against each other in a battle to see who is the best in their respective discipline.

From boxing to javelin and shooting to equestrian, it has something for everyone and very often, you'll end up falling in love with something you've never really given the time of day before.

But for the athletes that win gold, what are they actually getting their hands on? And how much are they worth?

Advert

A gold medal? Kind of but not quite

If the subheading didn't give it away, the gold medals won by athletes aren't actually gold despite the colour they give off.

And for the 2024 Paris Olympics, there will be an extra addition to the standard make up.

An Olympic gold medal is in fact required to be made from at lest 92.5 percent silver. Talk about plot twist.

Every medal only has to have six grams of gold.

In contrast, the silver and bronze medals are both fully solid in their respective metals.

A piece of history (OCTAVIO JONES/AFP via Getty Images)
A piece of history (OCTAVIO JONES/AFP via Getty Images)

How much are Olympic gold medals worth?

Last time around at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, you were looking at around £540 for a gold medal.

The silvers were worth £297 whereas the bronze were a fiver. No, we're not joking.

Made up of copper and zinc, it's an extremely common metal.

There is some variation, with NBC Sports reporting the golds can go for up to $850 (£655). Ultimately, though, that is based on the metals they are made out of rather than what they represent.

Historic medals have sold for incredible amounts. Back in 2013, one of Jesse Owen's golds from the 1936 Berlin Olympics - that he won in front of Adolf Hitler - sold for a mega $1.46 million (£1.13 million).

The 2024 gold (BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images)
The 2024 gold (BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images)

2024 Olympic medals

The design for this year's Olympic medals is pretty unique.

Hexagonal in design, they will have an iron sculpture of the Eiffel Tower on top of the medal - weighing an additional 18 grams - to represent the city in which the games are being held.

Joachim Roncin, head of design at the Paris Games organising committee, said: "Having a gold medal is already something incredible. But we wanted to add this French touch and we thought that the Eiffel Tower would be this cherry on top.

"Having a piece of it is a piece of history."

Featured Image Credit: BERTRAND GUAY/OCTAVIO JONES/AFP via Getty Images

Topics: Olympics, Sport, Money, World News

Tom Earnshaw
Tom Earnshaw

Tom joined LADbible Group in 2024, currently working as SEO Lead across all brands including LADbible, UNILAD, SPORTbible, Tyla, UNILAD Tech, and GAMINGbible. He moved to the company from Reach plc where he enjoyed spells as a content editor and senior reporter for one of the country's most-read local news brands, LancsLive. When he's not in work, Tom spends his adult life as a suffering Manchester United supporter after a childhood filled with trebles and Premier League titles. You can't have it all forever, I suppose.

X

@TREarnshaw

Recommended reads

Rumer Willis responds to critics after she is blasted for breast-feeding 3-year-old daughterInstagram/@rumerwillisMalcolm in the Middle star turned down 'buckets of money' to return for reboot(Vince Bucci/Getty Images)Waitrose responds as employee of 17 years sacked for confronting shoplifter stealing Easter eggsKaty Blackwood/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesGigi Hadid speaks out for first time after her and sister Bella were featured in Epstein filesKevin Mazur/MG22/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

Advert

  • Secret New Balance voucher code to get discounts of up to £90 on trainers
  • Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas won't compete in next month's Olympics after losing legal battle
  • Spanish race walker loses out on medal after celebrating early as she reached finish line
  • 'Anti-sex' beds return for 2024 Paris Olympics after athletes admit to having 'orgies'

Choose your content:

an hour ago
2 hours ago
3 hours ago
  • Katy Blackwood/NurPhoto via Getty Images
    an hour ago

    Waitrose responds as employee of 17 years sacked for confronting shoplifter stealing Easter eggs

    The supermarket said 'nothing we sell is worth risking lives for'

    News
  • Kevin Mazur/MG22/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
    2 hours ago

    Gigi Hadid speaks out for first time after her and sister Bella were featured in Epstein files

    Gigi and Bella Hadid were mentioned in an email exchange between Jeffrey Epstein and a redacted individual

    News
  • (Oscar Abolafia/TPLP/Getty Images)
    2 hours ago

    Shirtless boy pictured in 'never-seen-before' snaps of Michael Jackson as explosive new lawsuit surfaces

    The singer has been accused of being a 'serial child predator' in a new federal lawsuit

    News
  • ROMAIN COSTASECA/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty
    3 hours ago

    Toddler caught in wolf's mouth at zoo as parents were 'distracted by phones'

    The 18-month-old's parents were allegedly sat scrolling when the incident occurred

    News