Newscenter Media News The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has assured victorious athletes from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games that their medals will be replaced following reports of deterioration.
According to reports, more than 100 athletes have returned their medals just five months after the games due to damage and rust.
Concerns over the poor quality of medals had 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.”
Several other athletes then shared images of the increased deterioration of their medals, including Team USA stars Nick Itkin and Ilona Maher.
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Two French Olympians Clement Secchi and Yohann Ndoye-Brouard last month became the latest to publicly complain about the state of their medals.
Recall that Team Nigeria failed to win any medal at the Olympics of the last summer.
French daily La Lettre reported that the management of the company who produced the medals, Monnaie de Paris, has been sacked due to the issue.
Reacting to the report, the IOC told AFP this week 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.
The Committee 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.
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