I Just Realised Why 2024 Olympians Ring A Bell, And It's Actually Really Touching

You might have watched runner Keely Hodgkinson ringing a trackside bell after scoring a gold medal for Team GB in the women’s 800m last night. 

You’d have seen the same if you were tuning into the men’s record-breaking pole vault or the men’s nanoseconds-close 100m race too ― in fact, it’s been a staple for all gold winners whose events took place in the Stade de France.

We’ve written before about how much medallists actually get paid. But when was this bell introduced, and why do athletes ring it?