Following complaints from athletes about the deteriorating quality of the medals from the 2024 Paris Games and Paralympics, the French mint has announced that it will be replacing a number of medals. Some athletes took to social media to showcase the degradation of their medals, prompting action from the Monnaie de Paris.
While the exact number of returned medals has not been disclosed, reports suggest that over 100 medals have been affected. The French Olympic committee and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have refrained from revealing specific figures. A total of 5,084 medals were produced by the French mint for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Monnaie de Paris has acknowledged the issue and has been working to address it since August. The company has made modifications to its varnishing process to prevent further deterioration. All damaged medals will be replaced upon athletes' requests in the first quarter of 2025.
Designed by Parisian jewelry house Chaumet, the medals featured a hexagonal, polished iron piece from the Eiffel Tower. However, concerns about the quality of the medals arose even before the Games concluded, with athletes like Nyjah Huston and French swimmers Yohann Ndoye-Brouard and Clément Secchi highlighting the rapid deterioration of their medals.
The IOC has confirmed that Paris organizers are working with the affected athletes' national Olympic committees to initiate the replacement process. The French mint will engrave the new medals identically to the originals, ensuring consistency.
The iron pieces embedded in the center of the Olympic medals weigh 18 grams each and were sourced from parts of the Eiffel Tower during renovations. Joachim Roncin, head of design at the Paris Games organizing committee, provided insights into the origin of these unique medal components.
As the replacement process is set to commence in the coming weeks, the Monnaie de Paris and Paris organizers are collaborating to understand the reasons behind the medal deterioration and ensure the quality of the new medals.
For more coverage of the Paris Olympics, visit AP's dedicated page.
