PARIS, Jan 14 (Bernama-Xinhua): The quality of Paris Olympic medals has sparked fresh controversy recently as two French Olympic medallists shared photos of their awards on social media, showing peeling coatings and discolouration.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has stated that all damaged medals will be replaced.
Yohann Ndoye-Brouard, who won a bronze medal in the men's 4x100m medley relay at the Paris Olympics, recently posted a photo of his medal on social media. He captioned the post with "Paris 1924," accompanied by laughing emojis, jokingly suggesting that the bronze medal looks like an "antique" from the 1924 Olympics.
Ndoye-Brouard's post was in response to a similar one from his teammate Clement Secchi, who had shared his own medal and described its rough and damaged surface to "crocodile skin."
Complaints about the quality of the medals first surfaced during the Games last year. American skateboarder Nyjah Huston revealed that his medal began to lose its lustre and showed signs of peeling just about 10 days after he received it.
He expressed his dissatisfaction on social media, stating, "Olympic medals, we got to step up the quality a little bit."
Since the Games concluded, more athletes have reported similar issues with their medals. According to French media outlet La Lettre, over 100 medals have been returned due to damage. The IOC has since responded to address the matter.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Monday, the IOC announced that the Paris Organising Committee is working closely with Monnaie de Paris, the French state mint responsible for the production and quality control of the medals, to investigate the causes of the damage and evaluate the situation. Damaged medals identified as defective will be replaced, and the replacements will be identical to the originals.
Monnaie de Paris also stated that they had begun replacing damaged medals as early as August 2024 and will continue to handle such requests "professionally."
The Paris Olympic medals were designed by French luxury brand Chaumet and manufactured by Monnaie de Paris. A unique feature of the design is the incorporation of materials from the Eiffel Tower, symbolising Paris's rich cultural heritage.
However, this innovative approach has raised concerns about the durability of the medals. - Bernama-Xinhua
