Winning an Olympic medal is a dream come true for millions of athletes but many that came home with them after Paris 2024 have been having a whole host of issues.
Reportedly over 100 athletes who came home with either a bronze, silver or gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics have returned them only six months since the games.
The claim was made by French daily La Lettre publicationas, alleging that athletes have made multiple complaints since the sporting competition.
The reason for the returns has been regarding the quality of the medals, with some reporting rust or damage.
When did the Olympic medal complaints begin?
It all began when skateboarder Nyjah Huston - who bagged bronze at the event - complained about the quality of the medal, claiming it was looking a bit worse for wear just ten days after he competed.
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“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 at the time.
“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.”
A spokesperson for Paris 2024 at the time said that athletes would be sent replacement medals for any that were damaged.
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But the complaints have continued to trickle in.
Two French Olympians have been the latest to speak out about the quality of their medals as they rubbished them on social media.
Swimmer Yohann Ndoye-Brouard took a picture of his deteriorating medal and joked it was from the 1924 Paris Olympics, rather than 2024.
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Meanwhile, fellow swimmer Clement Secchi shared an image of his flaking medal with the caption ‘crocodile skin’.
What are the Olympic medals made out of?
While gold, silver and bronze medals are on offer at each Olympics, the exact makeup of the medals varies.
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Gold medals are mostly made of silver with a gold coating. Bronze medals are usually a mix of copper, zinc and tin.
Bronze naturally oxidizes when exposed to air and moisture. How quickly bronze degrades depends on the proportion of metals in the alloy, although cheaper metals often quicken the process.
Speaking to Mail Sport the International Olympic Committee has made it clear it are aware of the complaints and said it is dedicated to addressing the issue.
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The committee said: “The Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 is working closely with the Monnaie de Paris, the institution tasked with the production and quality control of the medals, in order to appraise any issues with medals to understand the circumstances and cause of any damage.
“Damaged medals will be systematically replaced by the Monnaie de Paris and engraved in an identical way to the originals.
“The process to provide any replacements should start in the coming weeks in a process managed by Paris 2024 and Monnaie de Paris, together with the National Olympic Committees of the athletes concerned. Paris 2024 is in contact with the relevant National Olympic Committees.”
Gerrard Kaonga