Explanation behind box given to Olympic athletes on the podium at the same time as their medals

The Paris 2024 Olympics are well underway and millions of sports fans from around the world have been glued to their tellies while keeping tabs on the competition.

The international event is a smorgasbord of talent and medals are being handed out left, right and centre to triumphant athletes on the podiums, but there's also another unusual gift bestowed upon them too.

Seen as though the Olympics is held every four years, it can be hard to keep track of all the traditions and novelties which are part and parcel of it, but don't worry - as we're here to nudge you in the right direction.

After the competitors from each country around the world have battled it out, the three top contenders who have earned a gold, silver or bronze medal all head to the podiums to take their positions.

Whether or not they shove them inside their gobs and bite them so that photographers can get that 'money shot' is another story, but it turns out that they might also balance them between their teeth because their hands are so full.

Winning athletes at the Olympics are awarded a mysterious box on the podium too (Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

As we all know, the lucky bugger who bagged first place is on the highest platform, while those who were right on their tail are flanking them on either side.

Then, members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) dole out the medals to the deserving athletes, as well as another mysterious prize.

You might have noticed that winners also walk away with a small box, but do you know what's inside of it?

Well, a pat on the back if you do - as a ton of people have no clue.

In the words of Brad Pitt in Seven...."What's in the box?!"

Fine, we'll tell you - what's inside this peculiar package is quite an interesting souvenir.

It's the official Olympic poster for this year's Games, which have been designed by French artist Ugo Gattoni.

He is said to have spent a whopping 2,000 hours painstakingly designing the cartoon-style drawing of this year's host city over a period of four months.

They contain a keepsake to remind sports stars of the international event (Xavier Laine/Getty Images)

The director of design at the Paris Olympics, Joachim Roncin, explained that he wanted the illustration to 'tell the story of Paris 2024' as an 'overview of the entire project'.

And luckily for fans, you can pick one up for yourself in Paris or purchase one online as a memento of the event - not that we will be forgetting it in a hurry, anyway.

We've had show-stopping performances at the Opening Ceremony from Lady Gaga and Celine Dion, a Minions cameo and a bloke lying on a platter of fruit, painted blue, who has been branded a 'blue scrotum'.

And that was before any games had even begun.

Anyway, according to the IOC, winners also walk away with a 'medal-winning mascot', which they are awarded after they have left the podium.

This time, they have been created by the Doudou & Compagnie factory based in La Guerche-de-Bretagne, France.

The IOC explains: "Gold, silver or bronze medals are represented by the medal emblem sewn onto the mascot's belly, by the colour of the trainers and by the text 'Bravo' in French on the back of the Phryge."

A medal, a poster and a mini mascot? What more could they want, eh?

The most bizarre, discontinued Olympic sports

Painting

Back in the day, the Olympics dished out medals for art too, with events including painting and sculpture, as well as music, architecture and even literature.

Making its debut all the way back at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm and continuing until the 1948 London games, juries awarded competitors a total of 151 medals for artistic projects inspired by sport.

Tug of War

Bet you didn't think this playground classic was once part of the Olympics, did you?

Well, it turns out not only was the sport popular, but it stirred up a lot of drama too - with accusations of foul play flying around at the 1908 Olympics in London, with Team USA accusing Team GB of cheating due to their 'illegal' heavy footwear.

A mainstay for around five Olympic games from 1900 to 1920, Tug of War enthusiasts have even campaigned for organisers to reintroduce the retired sport back into the Games.

Hot Air Balloon Racing

Launching at the 1900 Olympics, hot air balloon drivers would compete in races scoring how far they could travel, altitude reached, ability to land within the correct coordinates and - to top it all off - who got the best photo from the balloon.

The sport ended up being canned after a ban on motorised sports was brought in.

Live Pigeon Shooting

Also making its debut at the 1900 Olympics, the event was pretty self explanatory - a load of pigeons were released into the air as the competitor tried to shoot as many as possible. Grim.

The event only appeared at the Games once, and all in all, it's estimated that Olympic hopefuls killed around 300 pigeons.

Pistol Duelling

It doesn't take much guessing as to why this event was scrapped, but back in 1906, people clearly didn't bat an eyelid at competitors waving pistols around and shooting at each other.

It began with competitors shooting at dummies, but two years later organisers decided to shake things up and have them shoot at each other with wax bullets. Ouch.

1908 would be the last time the sport was included in the Olympics, so I'm guessing they quickly realised it was a bad idea - wax bullets or not.