Some of the medals from the Paris Olympics seem to be quickly losing their shine.
The French mint told The Associated Press on Tuesday that it is replacing a number of medals from the 2024 Paris Games and Paralympics after athletes complained that they have already deteriorated — with some posting pictures on social media.
The Monnaie de Paris declined to say how many medals have been returned, but French website La Lettre put the number at over 100. Contacted by the AP, the French Olympic committee and the IOC also would not reveal figures.
In total, the French mint produced 5,084 medals for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“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.”
Parisian jewelry house Chaumet designed the medals, which were part of the Games’ lasting legacy. A hexagonal, polished chunk of iron taken from the iconic Eiffel Tower was embedded in each gold, silver and bronze medal.
But concerns about their quality emerged before the Games had even ended last summer when American skateboarder Nyjah Huston posted a video showing how quickly his bronze medal had deteriorated. Many other athletes have since also complained. French swimmers Yohann Ndoye-Brouard and Clement Secchi recently posted images of their medals on social media, describing them as looking like “crocodile skin,” or dating back to 1924.
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.
“Damaged medals will be systematically replaced by the Monnaie de Paris and engraved in an identical way to the originals,” the IOC said.
The iron pieces embedded in the centre of the Olympic medals each weigh 18 grams (about two-thirds of an ounce).
They were cut from girders and other bits that were swapped out of the Eiffel Tower during renovations and stored for safekeeping, according to Joachim Roncin, head of design at the Paris Games organizing committee.