Just over four months after the end of the Paris Olympic Games, medals distributed to athletes during the sporting event are already showing advanced signs of deterioration.
French swimmers Clément Secchi and Yohann Ndoye Brouard, who won bronze in the 4 x 100m medley relay event in the French capital, published images on social media showing the current state of the medals, faded and worn in appearance.
“Paris 1924”, joked Brouard, in reference to the edition of the Games that was also held a hundred years ago in the city. “Crocodile skin,” wrote Secchi when sharing the image in an Instagram post.
At the beginning of September, skateboarder Nyjah Huston, from the United States, had also criticized the quality of the medals. He won bronze in the street skateboarding category.
“Olympic medals are beautiful when they’re new, but after sitting on your skin, with a little sweat, and after my friends wore them over the weekend, they apparently aren’t as good as you think.” , said the North American. “The medal looks like it went to war and came back,” he added.
After the end of the Games, the Organizing Committee assured that it would exchange all damaged medals. “Medals are the most desired and precious objects for athletes. Those that are damaged will be exchanged. Athletes will receive medals identical to their originals,” the committee said.
Measuring 8.5 cm in diameter and weighing 455 grams, the bronze medals are composed of copper, tin and zinc. They are also decorated with an iron hexagon from the Eiffel Tower.
