A growing controversy surrounding the quality of the Paris 2024 Olympic medals has led more than 100 athletes to return their awards just five months after the games. The issue, which initially emerged during the event last year, has been linked to rust and significant damage to the medals.
Concerns about the quality of the medals were first raised when American skateboarder Nyjah Houston went viral after revealing the poor condition of the bronze medal he received. Houston shared that the medal began to show signs of deterioration after just a short period of wear. “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 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.”
Following Houston’s viral post, several other athletes, including Team USA’s Nick Itkin and Ilona Maher, shared images of their own damaged medals. In addition, two French Olympians, Clément Secchi and Yohann Ndoye-Brouard, who won bronze together in the 4×100-meter medley relay, publicly complained about the state of their medals last month.
According to a recent report from La Lettre, over 100 athletes have now returned their medals to the Paris 2024 organizers due to similar damage. The publication also revealed that the management of Monnaie de Paris, the company responsible for producing the medals, has been dismissed in the wake of the issue. Problems reportedly arose from a ban on certain components used in the medals and insufficient testing time before production.
The medals were designed by French luxury jeweler Chaumet and include a piece of iron sourced from the Eiffel Tower during renovations in the 20th century. However, the quality of the final product has sparked outrage among athletes.
In response to the report, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) assured AFP that defective medals would be replaced with identical models. The IOC explained, “The Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organizing Committee is working closely with Monnaie de Paris, the institution responsible for the manufacture and quality control of the medals, to assess any complaints about the medals and understand the circumstances and cause of any damage.”
The IOC added that all defective medals would be systematically replaced, engraved identically, and that the replacement process would begin in the coming weeks.
