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Over 100 Olympic medals won by athletes at the Paris Summer Games are already falling apart and reportedly needing to be replaced. The Monnaie de Paris, the French mint that created the medals, produced a total of 5,084 medals for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Paris Olympic medals were already under scrutiny just days after skateboarder Nyjah Huston won a bronze at the games. He went viral after he shared images of his medal in a rapidly deteriorating state.
“These Olympic medals look great when they’re brand new,” Huston said. “But after letting it sit on my skin with some sweat for a little bit and letting my friend wear it over the weekend, they’re apparently not as high quality as you would think.”
According to the Associated Press, the Monnaie de Paris would admit to a specific number when asked how many Olympic medals have been returned, but French news outlet La Lettre reported it was over 100.
“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 IOC told the AP that Paris organizers are in contact with the national Olympic committees of the athletes concerned. It confirmed that the replacement process will start in the coming weeks, and that the French mint is working with Paris organizers to understand the circumstances and cause of any damage.
“The Organising 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,” the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said in a statement. “Damaged medals will be systematically replaced by the Monnaie de Paris and engraved in an identical way to the originals.”
Pas la médaille de bronze de Clement Secchi qui s’écaille 💀💀#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/Dv7YOVxLMN
— MR.CARTER (@NelsonCarterJr) December 27, 2024
Hopefully, U.S. Women’s National Team soccer star Lynn Williams, who accidentally broke her Olympic gold medal shortly after winning it, will be able to get a replacement as well.