More than 100 disgruntled athletes have returned their Olympic medals just five months on from the Paris 2024 Games because of damage and rust, according to a new report.
Concerns over the poor quality of medals handed out by Paris organisers emerged during last year’s event, with American skateboarder Nyjah Huston going viral after he revealed the shocking state of the bronze he won in the French capital.
Several other athletes then shared images of the rapid deterioration of their medals, including Team USA stars Nick Itkin and Ilona Maher.
Two French Olympians last month became the latest to publicly complain about the state of their cherished gongs.
Clement Secchi and Yohann 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.
And a report from French daily La Lettre now claims the number of athletes to have given back their medals to Paris organisers has surpassed the 100 mark.
The publication also reports the management of the company who produced the medals, Monnaie de Paris, has been sacked due to the issue.
It has been claimed problems arose because of a ban on the use of a component in the medals and a lack of testing time.
Houston shared an image of the medal he won just 10 days after his event at last year’s Games. He said: ‘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.’
British diver Yasmin Harper also revealed that her medal was showing signs of deterioration within a week of winning bronze with partner Scarlett Mew Jensen in the women’s 3m synchronised springboard diving.
‘There’s been some small bits of tarnishing,’ said Harper who won Britain’s first medal of the Games.
‘I think it’s water or anything that gets under metal, it’s making it go a little bit discoloured, but I’m not sure.’
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.
The International Olympic Committee told Mail Sport: ‘The Organising Committee of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 is working closely with the Monnaie de Paris, the institution tasked with the production and quality control of the medals, in order to appraise any issues with medals to understand the circumstances and cause of any damage.
‘Damaged medals will be systematically replaced by the Monnaie de Paris and engraved in an identical way to the originals.
‘The process to provide any replacements should start in the coming weeks in a process managed by Paris 2024 and Monnaie de Paris, together with the National Olympic Committees of the athletes concerned. Paris 2024 is in contact with the relevant National Olympic Committees.’