US Mint Delivers LA Olympic Medal to Paris

With the conclusion 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 carrying the Olympic flag across the ocean for a concert with Snoop Dogg. But aside from the high-profile celebrity appearances, the US Mint presented Paris with an official LA28 Handover Medallion.

The mint created the medal, which is made of 99.9 percent silver, to commemorate the closing ceremony of the Games in Paris on August 11. As part of Olympic tradition, each host city typically creates a medal or coin as an official gift to its predecessor, to mark the handover from one Games to the other and celebrate both venues.

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 Samothracefrom 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 letters.

The reverse, or back, of the Olympic medallion features 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 was designed by coin medallion artist Phebe Hemphill.

The reverse of the official LA28 Handover Medallion, designed by mint medallic artist Phebe Hemphill. Photo courtesy of the United States Mint.

An alternative version of the Paralympic medallion replaces the rings with the Paralympic symbol, known as the Agitos.

“We are proud to play 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 honors the remarkable achievement of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee, while also representing the excitement of the United States hosting the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.”

During the closing ceremony, the Olympic flag was also lowered and handed over by the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, to her counterpart from Los Angeles, Karen Bass.

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