Olympians are voicing their frustrations over the disappointing quality of their medals from the 2024 Paris Games.
Just months after earning their hard-earned medals, athletes have taken to social media to reveal how the glow of their Olympic glory is literally fading away.
Two French swimmers, Clement Secchi and Yohann Ndoye-Brouard, shared the worn-out state of their bronze medals, which they both took home from the Olympics after winning the 4×100-metre medley relay.
French swimmer Yohann Ndoye-Brouard expressed frustration over the rapidly fading state of his medal from the 2024 Paris Olympics
“Crocodile skin,” Secchi, 24, said while describing the withering state of his Olympic prize, while his teammate said it could be mistaken for something made a century ago.
“Paris 1924,” wrote the 24-year-old swimmer.
The swimmers’ dilemma drew mixed opinions online, with one saying, “It looks like it was dipped in Seine” while another joked, “Those from Paris 1924 are in better condition.”
“I’m afraid the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris were a total failure,” another wrote. “And the question of medals was probably one of its least problems …”
“Paris 1924,” said the 24-year-old swimmer, who won the 4×100-meter medley relay
“France doesn’t even know how to print coins anymore…” said another.
“Why are you holding and wearing it?” another asked. “Get it cleaned professionally and then put it in an air tight case. It’s just natural patina.”
“Total nonsense. That’s patina what is shown,” another said. “It’s the natural process of oxidation and corrosion of bronze due to lack of maintenance and cleaning of the metal. Color transformation and texture changes due to patina is seen on the medals. Stop complaining!”
“I’m afraid the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris were a total failure,” read one social media comment
Before the French swimmers voiced their complaints, other Olympians have been sharing their woes about their victory tokens since the conclusion of the Olympics in August.
Members of Team USA, which dominated the medal table this year, spoke about the plight of their Olympic hardware soon after the prestigious event came to an end.
“Alright, so these Olympic medals look great when they are brand new,” said Team USA Olympic skateboarder Nyjah Huston, who won in the men’s street skateboarding final on July 29.
“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 are apparently not as high quality as you would think,” added the skateboarder in a clip he shared on social media in August.
Other athletes also shared similar disappointment over the withering state of the prized accolades
“I mean look at that thing, it’s looking rough. Even the front is starting to chip off a little,” the Olympian continued.
“So I don’t know … Olympic medals, you gotta maybe step up the quality a little bit,” he said.
Similar concerns were shared by British diver Yasmin Harper, who said her Olympic bronze medal was showing signs of “tarnishing.”
The diver had won the first medal of Paris 2024 for Britain after coming in at third place in the women’s 3M synchronized springboard diving with her partner Scarlett Mew Jensen.
Fellow French simmer Clement Secchi also shared an image of his bronze medal and described it as “crocodile skin”
“There’s been some small bits of tarnishing,” she said in August about the condition of her prize. “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.”
The diver said she wasn’t fazed by the quality “because it’s still a medal” after all.
The Paris 2024 medals were designed by LVMH jeweler Chaumet, and each medal includes a piece of original iron from the Eiffel Tower.
After complaints from the games’ winners, organizers from the Paris Olympics said they were looking into the situation and would rectify it.
The French swimmers came in third place in the 4×100-metre medley relay behind China and the US
Image credits: Olympics
“Paris 2024 is aware of a social media report from an athlete whose medal is showing damage a few days after it was awarded,” a spokesperson told the Daily Mail after Huston’s post went viral in August.
“Paris 2024 is working closely with the Monnaie de Paris, the institution tasked with the production and quality control of the medals, and together with the National Olympic Committee of the athlete concerned, in order to appraise the medal to understand the circumstances and cause of the damage,” the spokesperson went on to say.
“What an utter disgrace,” said one critic after seeing the state of the Olympic medals
