Just five months after the Paris 2024 Olympics, reports have emerged that over 100 athletes have returned their Olympic medals due to damage and rust.
A video by American skateboarder Nyjah Huston showing the poor condition of his bronze medal just ten days after winning went viral, capturing his shock and disappointment in the organization.
“Alright, so these Olympic medals look great when they’re brand new, but after letting it sit on my skin with some sweat for a little bit and then letting my friends wear it over the weekend, they’re apparently not as high quality as you would think.”
He added: “I mean, look at that thing. It’s looking rough. Even the front. It’s starting to chip off a little. So yeah, I don’t know, Olympic medals, you maybe gotta step up the quality a little bit.”
His video sparked a wave of images and clips from several other athletes including Team USA stars Nick Itkin and Ilona Maher lamenting the poor condition of their hard-earned medals.
International publication Daily Mail reported that the management of the company who produced the medals, Monnaie de Paris, has been dismissed due to the issue.
The company has responded, claiming that problems arose after the ban of use of a critical component of the medals was prohibited, consequently leading to the cutting back on testing time.
The medals awarded in the Paris 2024 Olympics contain a sliver of the Eiffel Tower paying homage to the host city. However, the composition of medals vary between Olympics. Gold medals are primarily made of silver with a gold coating while bronze medals are usually a mix of copper, zinc and tin. Over time, bronze naturally oxidizes when exposed to air and moisture and the rate of degradation depends on the proportion of metals in the alloy with cheaper metals accelerating the process.
Seaking to the publication, the International Olympic Committee stated that the Organising Committee of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 was working closely with the Monnaie de Paris to investigate any issues with medals and determine the cause of any damage.
The committee assured that replacement medals were in production and would be distributed in the coming weeks.
“Damaged medals will be systematically replaced by the Monnaie de Paris and engraved in an identical way to the originals. The process to provide any replacements should start in the coming weeks in a process managed by Paris 2024 and Monnaie de Paris, together with the National Olympic Committees of the athletes concerned. Paris 2024 is in contact with the relevant National Olympic Committees.”
“The process to provide any replacements should start in the coming weeks in a process managed by Paris 2024 and Monnaie de Paris, together with the National Olympic Committees of the athletes concerned. Paris 2024 is in contact with the relevant National Olympic Committees.’
