More than one hundred 2024 Paris Olympic athletes have returned their medals due to deterioration and apparent rust damage.
According to the Daily Mail, quality concerns emerged during last year’s event. For example, American skateboarder Nyjah Huston went viral after he revealed the condition of his bronze.
🚨🥇PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC MEDALS FALL APART—ATHLETES OUTRAGED!
— Info Room (@InfoR00M) January 13, 2025
🔹Over 100 athletes have returned damaged medals, mostly bronze.
🔹A French swimmer described their medal as looking like it "went through a war."
🔹Paris 2024 faces backlash over the craftsmanship of its… pic.twitter.com/V2WGWiOK7W
Several other athletes shared images of theirs including Americans Nick Itkin and Ilona Maher.
The organizing committee intends to replace the medals sent to them by the athletes. The International Olympic Committee confirmed that the return process will begin soon, and they will be looking into what caused this deterioration. The suppliers have had several of its management fired over the debacle.
“The Monnaie de Paris has taken the issue of damaged medals very seriously since the first exchange requests in August, and has mobilized its internal teams,” the French Mint said. “Since then, the company has modified and optimized its relative varnishing process. The Monnaie de Paris will replace all damaged medals at the athletes’ request during the first quarter of 2025.”
The medals handed out at the Olympic Games last summer were created by Paris jewelry house Chaumet. The hexagon shape in the middle contained iron from the Eiffel Tower. There were over 5000 medals won.
