2024 Olympic Games in Paris – The Sprinting Marianne

In the foreground, Marianne — the allegory of France — wearing the Phrygian cap, depicted as a sprinter; behind her the Eiffel Tower and a running track in which the logo of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games appears at the starting line. Below: the monogram "RF" of the French Republic, and beneath it the year of issue "2021". To the left: the mint mark of the Pessac Mint; to the right: the Chief Engraver's mark.

Paris has been inseparably linked to the Olympic movement since the late 19th century: the city hosted the Summer Games in 1900 and 1924 before becoming, in 2024, the first European host country to welcome the Games for a third time. France was not only the host but also played a decisive role in shaping modern athletics — the founding of the International Olympic Committee by Pierre de Coubertin in Paris in 1894 reflects this historic claim. The Eiffel Tower, built in 1889 as the entrance gate to the World's Fair, became one of the central venues of the 2024 Games and served as a backdrop for competitions at the Trocadéro.

Marianne, the female allegory of the French Republic, has embodied the ideals of Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité since the Revolution of 1789. The Phrygian cap she traditionally wears traces back to the freedom symbol of the ancient world and became a sign of emancipation in revolutionary iconography. As a state symbol of identification, Marianne is omnipresent in town halls, on stamps, and on coins — her depiction varies with the spirit of the times but always serves as a canvas for republican values. France issued this 2-euro commemorative coin in 2021 to mark the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, linking two core symbols of national identity with the country's biggest sporting event in a century.