The history behind the posters for the Paris Olympics

Among the symbols of the Games are the Olympic Rings, the Olympic Flame and Stoke Mandeville Hospital in the UK

Sat, 27 Jul, 2024 - 01:19

Des O’Sullivan

From gold medals to posters the Olympic Games spawn collectibles that turn up at auction many years later. These games are no exception. The posters for the Paris Olympics use a diptych design to bring together Olympism and Paralympism.

Each one can work independently or in combination to form a seamless image to tell the story of the Paris games.

An iconic poster of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Created by the French illustrator Ugo Gattoni they are rich in detail and depict a fantasy city that serves as a gigantic stadium with famous monuments, symbols of France, different sports and various venues.

Among the symbols of the games are the Olympic Rings, the Olympic Flame and Stoke Mandeville Hospital in the UK.

In 1948 at the opening of the London Games, Dr Ludwig Guttmann organised the first competition for wheelchair athletes which he named the Stoke Mandeville Games. In the postwar period, it involved 16 injured servicemen and one woman. Out of this grew the Paralympics with the first Games taking place in Rome in 1960.