The quality of the 2024 Olympic medals is under scrutiny after more than 100 athletes have returned them because of damage and rust just months after the Games, according to a Daily Mail report.
The scrutiny started during the Paris Games after U.S. skateboarder Nyjah Huston posted on social media and it went viral showing the damage.
“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 about the medals in the post. “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.”
More and more athletes have followed.
The International Olympic Committee responded to the news by stating that athletes are receiving replacements for their damaged medals.
A report from La Lettre stated the number of athletes to have given back their medals to Paris organizers has surpassed the 100 mark and that the management of the company Monnaie de Paris, which produced the medals, have been fired because of the issues.
The Olympic medals, made of mostly silver with a gold coating, were designed by French luxury jeweler Chaumet and are set with a piece of iron taken from the Eiffel Tower during renovation in the 20th Century. Monnaie de Paris produced them.
According to the report, British diver Yasmin Harper came forward to show that her medal was showing signs of deterioration within a week of winning bronze with partner Scarlett Mew Jensen in the women’s 3-m synchronized diving.
“There’s been some small bits of tarnishing,” said Harper. “I think it’s water or anything that gets under metal, it’s making it go a little bit discolored, but I’m not sure.”
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