Why do Olympic medal winners get a cardboard box – and what’s in it?

Many viewers have been confused by the mysterious cardboard boxes handed out at the Olympics

Gold Medalist, Ariarne Titmus of Team Australia and Bronze Medalist, Katie Ledecky of Team United States after the Women's 400m Freestyle Final (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The 2024 Paris Olympics is well underway as the world’s athletes continue to compete for gold in sports ranging from swimming to skateboarding. Some events have already wrapped up, with Team GB securing a few medals in the early days.

But this year, the Paris Olympic organisers have thrown in a bonus prize for medal winners too: a mysterious cardboard box.

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Some viewers have been confused to see these Olympians handed a long, thin cardboard box as they have the medals hung around their neck. The box is yellow, and a roll of paper can be seen through its window.

This is a Paris-themed poster, specially made for this year’s Olympics. Designed by French artist Ugo Gattoni, the limited-edition illustration is being given as a special thanks to winning competitors.

The Paris 2024 Olympics poster by Ugo Gattoni (Getty Images)

The poster show a cartoon version of Paris, complete with a bright-red Eiffel Tower and the Seine. Sporting events are taking place all over the city centre as spectators watch on, seated in a giant stadium.

On the front of the Eiffel Tower, you will see the words ‘XXXIII Olympiade,’ as this year’s Olympics mark the 33rd edition of the games.

It also has the words XXXIII Olympiade referencing the fact that Paris 2024 is the 33rd edition of the Games.

The intricately-detailed piece of work reportedly took Mr Gattoni 6 months of full-time work, and a night-time edition of the art can be viewed on the artist’s social media accounts.

“It’s a new, key moment in the Paris 2024 story,” said Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet at the unveiling of the poster in March.

“We’ve tried to be different and imagine posters that look like us, posters that go beyond a mere logo.”

With close to 1,000 medals up for grabs at the games, there’s a lot of posters to go around. Expect to see athletes share their awards online and tell fans their plans for their posters.