With the closing of the 2024 Olympic Games came the passing of the torch from Paris to Los Angeles, with Tom Cruise jumping from the top of the Stade de France and taking the Olympic flag across the ocean for a concert with Snoop Dogg. But separate from the flashy celebrity appearances, the U.S. Mint presented Paris with an official LA28 Handover Medallion.
The mint created the medal, which is 99.9 percent silver, in honor of the Closing Ceremony for the Paris games on August 11. As part of Olympic tradition, each host city typically creates a medallion or coin as an official gift for its predecessor, marking the handover from one games to the next and celebrating both places.
Joseph Menna, the mint’s chief engraver, designed the coin’s obverse, or heads side. It features an image of the famous sculpture, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, from the collection of the Louvre in Paris. There are two inscriptions: “Paris 2024” in an Art Deco-style print, and “Los Angeles 2028” in graffiti lettering.
The reverse, or tails side, of the Olympic medallion shows the Arc de Triomphe in front of the Los Angeles Coliseum and palm trees, with the Olympic rings below the words “LA 28.” That side is designed by mint medallic artist Phebe Hemphill.
The reverse of the the official LA28 Handover Medallion, designed by mint medallic artist Phebe Hemphill. Photo courtesy of the United States Mint.
An alternate version of the medallion for the Paralympic games replaces the rings with the Paralympic symbol, known as the Agitos.
“We are proud to have a creative role in celebrating the unique status of the Olympic Games,” U.S. Mint director Ventris C. Gibson said in a statement. “The LA28 Handover Medallion salutes the remarkable achievement of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee, while at the same time represents the excitement of the United States hosting the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.”
The closing ceremonies also saw the Olympic flag lowered and handed from Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo to her Los Angeles counterpart, Karen Bass.