Paralympics medals have unique design for blind athletes competing at the Games
Paris' summer of sport is continuing as the 2024 Paralympics take off just weeks after we said goodbye to the Olympics.
And with more than 4,400 new athletes arriving in the French capital for the opening ceremony on 28 August, it is set to be a 12 day spectacle showing just how amazing the human body is when it comes to sport.
With medals available across 22 sports, there will be 549 events in which gold, silver, and bronze will be handed out to the top competitors in every field, ending on 8 September.
Those who place first, second, or third will receive their medals during their respective ceremonies.
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But given this is the Paralympics, one question is being asked by many who will be tuning in to watch the sporting event - how do blind athletes know they have won a medal, and how do they know which medal they've won?
Paralympic medals and blind athletes
It is common practice at the Paralympics to issue different medals to athletes who are blind or are partially sighted.
The medals themselves are the same if you were to just catch a glimpse but up, close, and personal is where the detail lies.
Firstly, the medals are textured differently depending on which you have won. A gold will feel different to silver and bronze, for example.
To make things easier they will also be engraved with braille, which is a reading and writing system used by people who can't see or have limited vision.
Previous medals and their differences
In the 2016 Rio Paralympics, the medals given to blind or partially sighted athletes who had placed on a podium had a rattle-like section.
It gave the winners an audible cue that they could associate with their Paralympic success.
Every bronze medal had steel balls attached, 16 of them to be precise. Silver medals had 20, and gold medals had 28.
The more the steel balls, the louder the rattle, which was the way to distinguish between the three.
Paralympic vs Olympic medals
Despite the Olympics and Paralympics being run by two completely separate governing bodies, the medals couldn't be more similar.
For the Paris Games, the medals are the same bar the individual additions for the likes of blind athletes.
Every medal across both Games includes a segment of original iron from the Eiffel Tower. Fear not tourists, these are segments of the tower that have been replaced over the years in renovation work.
The official website for the Games says: "This symbol is a reminder of the whole nation’s engagement in delivering an historic Olympic and Paralympic Games.
"Stripped of its 'Eiffel Tower brown' paint, the iron is returned to its original colour.
"Placed in the centre and imprinted with the emblem of the Paris 2024 Games, this piece of heritage fits perfectly within the gold, silver and bronze core of the medal."
Topics: Paralympics, Sport
Tom Earnshaw