Any doubts golf would struggle to make its mark at the Olympics in just its third edition since a hiatus of over 100 years were put firmly to one side after the men’s tournament at Le Golf National.
There, US player Scottie Scheffler emerged the winner after a thrilling final round that saw him edge out Team GB’s Tommy Fleetwood by one shot and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama by two.
It was clear how much the achievement meant to the World No.1, who became emotional on the podium as the enormity of his achievement sunk in. However, aside from writing his name into the history books and receiving a gold medal, Scheffler also received a mysterious gold rectangular box for his win. But what did it contain?
In fact, it’s far from just Scheffler who received the box. Every Olympic medal winner, including Fleetwood for his silver and Matsuyama for his bronze, is given the item, and three more will be handed out after the women’s golf tournament.
According to the official Olympics website, the box, which is around 40cm (15.7in) long, contains the official poster, designed by illustrator Ugo Gattoni. It’s one of two posters he designed for the Games - one for the Olympics and another for the upcoming Paralympics. Both were also created manually, with no assistance from AI, and they took him four months to create, amounting to almost 2,000 hours of work.
It doesn't end there for the medal winners, either. After the ceremonies, they receive another gift - a gold, silver or bronze medal-winning mascot with the relevant medal emblem sewn into its belly, completing quite the haul for their remarkable achievements.
