More and more complaints are coming from last summer’s Olympic medalists to the International Olympic Committee and the organizers of the Paris Pentathlon Games due to the deterioration of the quality of the medallions they received.
According to the insidethegames.biz portal, the number of athletes who are already publicly criticizing the quality of their medals, designed by the Chaumet jeweler and made using iron waste generated during the previous renovation works of the Eiffel Tower, is constantly increasing, claiming that the reason for the wear is the poor quality of the material.
In the article, several competitors are also interviewed, who talk about serious frustration, seeing and experiencing how their medals are becoming increasingly ugly due to the injuries caused to them. American skateboarder Nyjah Huston, who was a bronze medalist in the French capital, complained on her Instagram page that “these medals look good new, but after a little use it becomes clear that they are not of the quality that we would expect.” He added that
in just ten days, the coin looked pitiful, some parts started to fall off.
The portal quotes representatives of several sports in the article, who report similar damage, small spots, and discoloration. Brazilian Olympic champion gymnast Rebeca Andrade admitted that she avoids wearing her gold medal at events related to the Olympics, and French medley bronze medalist Yohann Ndoye-Brouard ironically stated that
his medallion looks more like the medal from 1924 and not the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The organizing committee of last year’s games responded to the first objections in August and agreed to replace the damaged medals. However, the continuing complaints indicate that the problem still exists, calling into question the solutions offered by the organizers, the portal writes, adding that although the innovations aim to highlight the uniqueness of the Olympic medals, the inclusion of alternative materials may jeopardize the durability of the awards.
Eszter Muhari’s bronze medal won in Paris is worn, and will be replaced by the IOC
Source: nepszava.hu
