Winning a medal is the peak of an athlete’s career, and you would think that an Olympic medal would last a lifetime.
But many of the winners have been complaining about the quality of the medals they received, just months after the games.
They have been sharing images of the less-than-perfect medals, showcasing how much they have deteriorated just months after receiving them.
Clement Secchi and Yohann Ndoye-Brouard won bronze in the the 4×100-metre medley relay.
“Crocodile skin,” wrote Secchi, as his teammate joked it looked more like something made 100 years ago instead.
Another added: “Those from Paris 1924 are in better condition.”
One was even more scathing about the event as a whole: “I’m afraid the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris were a total failure, and the question of medals was probably one of its least problems …”
“France doesn’t even know how to print coins anymore…” criticised one viewer.
However, not everybody felt it was the fault of the Olympic organizers.
“Why are you holding and wearing it? Get it cleaned professionally and then put it in an air tight case. It’s just natural patina,” said one.
Many commenters were saying it it natural due to the material used for bronze medals.
“Total nonsense. That’s patina what is shown. 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!”
The two French swimmers weren’t the first to complain, as other athletes have expressed their unhappiness over the quality of the medals.
Members of Team USA also shared their unhappiness.
Team USA Olympic skateboarder Nyjah Huston said: “Alright, so these Olympic medals look great when they are 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 are apparently not as high quality as you would think.
“I mean look at that thing, it’s looking rough. Even the front is starting to chip off a little. So I don’t know … Olympic medals, you gotta maybe step up the quality a little bit.”
British diver Yasmin Harper also said her bronze medal was ‘tarnishing’.
“There’s been some small bits of tarnishing. 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,” she said back in August.
Each medal includes a piece of original iron from the Eiffel Tower.
Organizers told the Daily Mail: “Paris 2024 is aware of a social media report from an athlete whose medal is showing damage a few days after it was awarded.
“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.
