Paris 2024 Olympics, medals are defective: more than 100 already returned by athletes

More than 100 medals from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games have been returned by athletes due to early deterioration of the metal. This is according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which announced that all defective medals will be replaced with identical versions while the causes of the problems found are investigated.

The Paris Mint, which is responsible for the production of the 5,084 Olympic and Paralympic medals, assured that every request will be handled with the utmost professionalism. The mint “has taken the issue of damaged medals very seriously since the first requests for change in August and has mobilized its internal teams,” the institution tells AFP news agency. “Since then, the company has modified and optimized its related coating process. The Paris Mint will replace all damaged medals at the athletes’ request during the first quarter of 2025.” The institute also let it be known that rumors initially circulated about the dismissal of some employees as a result of the affair are false.

The first reports came as early as during the Summer Games, when U.S. athlete Nyjah Huston, who won bronze in skateboarding, posted a photo of his medal on social media, showing obvious signs of oxidation. “They look great when they are new, but it only took sweat after wearing it and some use by my friends to realize that apparently they were not of such great quality, contrary to what you might think,” Huston commented. Other athletes, such as French swimmers Yohann Ndoye-Brouard and Clément Secchi, have also denounced the problem, describing the medals as “reduced to crocodile skin” or comparing them to heirlooms dating back to 1924 rather than 2024.

Each Paris 2024 medal is a tribute to the history and iconography of the French capital. Designed by the Maison Chaumet, part of the LVMH Group, the medals contain a fragment of the Eiffel Tower, recovered during renovations.

Despite the problem, the IOC and the Paris Mint are working with the Paris 2024 Games Organizing Committee to ensure a quick solution and to fully understand the causes of the deterioration. “We want the medals to remain an eternal symbol of the athletes’ commitment and success,” an IOC spokesman concluded.

Pictured: Clément Secchi (photo: Théo Bachelier) and his deteriorated gold medal.

Paris 2024 Olympics, medals are defective: more than 100 already returned by athletes

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