More than 100 athletes have returned their Paris 2024 Olympic medals just five months on from the games due to damage and rust, according to French daily La Lettre.
Concerns over the poor quality of medals given by Paris organisers emerged during last year’s event, with American skateboarder Nyjah Houston going viral after he revealed the shocking state of the bronze he won.
“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 said.
“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.”
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Several other athletes then shared images of the increased deterioration of their medals, including Team USA stars Nick Itkin and Ilona Maher.
Two French Olympians Clement Secchi and Yohann Ndoye-Brouard last month became the latest to publicly complain about the state of their medals.
Secchi and Ndoye-Brouard both took to social media to reveal the sorry state of their own bronze medals which they won together in the 4×100-metre medley relay.
Now, a report from La Lettre claims the number of athletes to have given back their medals to Paris organisers is over 100.
Also, the publication reported that the management of the company who produced the medals, Monnaie de Paris, has been sacked due to the issue.
It was claimed problems arose because of a ban on the use of a component in the medals and a lack of testing time.
The medals were designed by French luxury jeweller Chaumet and are set with a piece of iron taken from the Eiffel Tower during renovation in the 20th Century.
Reacting to the report, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) told AFP Monday that the medals will be replaced with identical models.
“The Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organising Committee is working closely with the Monnaie de Paris (the French state mint), the institution responsible for the manufacture and quality control of the medals, to assess any complaints about the medals and to understand the circumstances and cause of any damage,” the IOC said.
It stated that defective medals will be systematically replaced by the Monnaie de Paris and engraved identically and that the replacement process should begin in the coming weeks.
