It Turns Out This Is Why Athletes Often Bite Their Olympic Medals

Paris, Todaysgist.com – As in previous Olympics, athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics will often bite their medals while on the podium to create a symbolic image.

The habit of athletes biting Olympic medals apparently originates from the history of gold medals at the world sporting event.

In 1896, when the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece, the winner was awarded a silver medal. The runner-up was awarded a bronze medal.

But that all changed during the 1904 Olympics. The winner or champion was awarded a pure gold medal, albeit a smaller one. To prove its authenticity, the athlete would bite his gold medal.

This tradition of awarding solid gold medals persisted until 1912, when World War I ended the gold rush.

Today, gold medals are actually made of pure silver coated with a layer of gold weighing at least 6 grams or the equivalent of three gold teeth. So, athletes do not bite the gold medals to check whether they are real gold or not, but mainly to satisfy the photographers.

The monetary value of the amount of precious metal in a medal is around $500 dollars. However, famous medals, or medals with a special historical story, can sell for more than $1 million at auction.

There are approximately 10,000 athletes who have won Olympic gold medals. Norway has won more Olympic gold medals than any other country in the world, per capita.

US swimmer Michael Phelps is the Olympic champion athlete with the most medals, with 23 gold medals, 3 silver medals, and 2 bronze medals.