Paris Olympic Athletes Seek Medal Replacements Due to Rapid Deterioration

Some of the medals from the Paris Olympics seem to be quickly losing their shine. The French mint told The Associated Press 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 reportedly over 100 have been exchanged. French Olympic committee and IOC officials would not reveal figures when contacted by the AP.

"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."

The medals were designed by Parisian jewelry house Chaumet and feature a hexagonal, polished chunk of iron taken from the iconic Eiffel Tower embedded in each gold, silver, and bronze medal.

Concerns about the quality of the medals 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, including French swimmers Yohann Ndoye-Brouard and Clément Secchi, who described their medals as looking like "crocodile skin."

The IOC 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 center of the Olympic medals each weigh about two-thirds of an ounce, 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.