The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed that the "defective medals" from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games will be replaced in coming weeks as more than 100 athletes have signalled the deterioration of their award.
"The Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organising Committee is working closely with the Monnaie de Paris, the institution responsible for the manufacture and quality control of the medals, to assess any complaints about the medals and to understand the circumstances and cause of any damage," the IOC said on Monday.
"Defective medals will be systematically replaced by the Monnaie de Paris and engraved identically.
"The replacement process should begin in the coming weeks."
A spokesperson for the Monnaie de Paris refuted the term "defective" and said that the medals signalled by athletes as being "damaged" since the month of August have already been replaced.
"We have replaced all the damaged medals since August and we will continue to do so in the same professional manner as before," said the spokesperson, adding that replacements were "underway" and were being made "as requests come in".
More than 100 defective medals
According to French online media outlet La Lettre, "more than 100 defective medals have been returned by disgruntled athletes", who have seen their awards deteriorate.
Some Olympians from the Paris Games took to social media to share photos of their medals.
One such athlete was American skateboarder Nyjah Huston, who won bronze in the street skateboarding competition on 29 July.
Ten days later he posted a picture of his medal, where he complained about its quality.
"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.
"It's looking rough. Even the front. It's starting to chip off a little."
Quality of the vernish
According to La Lettre, the medals "had to bear the brunt of the new products used", as new regulations banned a component of the varnish previously employed and "had to be replaced at short notice".
The 5,084 gold, silver and bronze medals for Paris 2024 were designed by luxury jewellery and watch firm Chaumet and produced by the Monnaie de Paris.
How French jewellery house Chaumet designed the Olympic medals
Each medal contains a small piece of the Eiffel Tower, taken from the stocks of the Parisian monument's operating company.
(with AFP)
