The Paris Olympic medals haven’t aged well for some athletes, leading to apologies, blame-shifting, and several reputations at stake…
Last year’s Paris Olympics may have been a resounding success but there’s been a snag: some medals are falling apart.
More than 100 athletes have complained to the International Olympic Committee about the fact their medals look nothing like the ones they received last summer, with visible signs of crumbling, staining and surface wear.
Compared to their counterparts from the Olympics in Tokyo three years earlier, the 2024 accolades look… well, centuries older. Many athletes are even joking that their 2024 medals look like relics from the 1924 Paris Olympics – the last time the French capital hosted the Games.
According to French investigative outlet La Lettre, a defective varnish seems to be the reason for the degraded appearance of the medals. The varnishes were switched as the old one reportedly contained chromium trioxide – a powerful oxidiser that happens to be a carcinogen.
The majority of the significantly weathered medals seem to be bronze ones, and the International Olympic Committee has already apologized, saying it “will find replacements.”
“The defective medals will be systematically replaced and identically engraved by the Monnaie de Paris,” they stated. The replacement process will begin in the coming weeks, the IOC added.
The medals, designed by Chaumet – part of the LVMH group – all have a piece of iron taken from the Eiffel Tower set into the back while the front of the medal depicts Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. She would not be impressed. Neither would Gustave, for that matter.
Until recently, LVMH has remained silent and let Monnaie de Paris, the French mint that produced the medals, take the brunt of the blame.
However, the designers of the medals did deign to speak out about the poor condition of the medals, saying they had no responsibility for the production of the medals and therefore could not be blamed.
Predictable. So back to Monnaie de Paris we go.
The Paris mint issued a statement dismissing the IOC’s use of the term “defective” and described the medals as “damaged”.
“La Monnaie de Paris has taken the issue of damaged medals very seriously since the first exchange requests in August and has mobilised its internal teams,” the mint said. “La Monnaie de Paris will replace all damaged medals at the athletes’ request during the first quarter of 2025,” it assured.
You read correctly – August. The issue isn’t new. Some athletes, including French swimmers Yohann Ndoye-Brouard and Clément Secchi, as well as British diver Yasmin Harper, spoke about the rapid deterioration of the medals even before they’d left Paris.
As for Natalya Diehm, the Australian cyclist who competes in Freestyle BMX and who won a bronze medal last summer, the wear and tear was fully visible after less than a week…
As the criticism and jokes continue to pile up for months now, the IOC is under pressure to ensure the medals are replaced in 1Q25 in order to avoid losing future sponsorship deals and to prevent this scandal from negatively impacting the public perception of the Paris Games.
To say nothing of their reputation, as an Olympic medal not only represents a mark of significant achievement but the ultimate reward for any athlete.
Let’s hope the varnish issues will lead to a varnish beautiful finish.
Additional sources • La Lettre, AFP
