More Olympians will receive new medals after complaining that their hardware from the 2024 Summer Games in Paris has already started tarnishing, according to the French mint that produced the medals.
Monnaie de Paris, which produced 5,084 more medals Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, told the Associated Press it will replace medals after several athletes complained they had already begun to deteriorate as early as August.
Three Olympic gold medals from the Paris 2024 Games on display. (Bryn Lennon – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
“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.
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“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.”
According to AP, the French mint declined to comment on the exact number of medals it would replace, but a French outlet reported that the number was over 100.
The The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it was working with the French mint to ensure the medals are made in an “identical manner to the originals.”
Bronze medalist Nyjah Huston holds his medal after the victory ceremony for the men’s street skateboarding event during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at La Concorde in Paris on July 29, 2024. (ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)
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“The Organizing Committee of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is working closely with the Monnaie de Paris, the institution tasked with the production and quality control of the medals, to assess any problems with medals to understand the circumstances and cause of any damage,” the IOC said in a statement to Front Office Sports.
“Damaged medals will be systematically replaced by the Monnaie de Paris and engraved in the same way as the originals.”
American skateboarder Nyjah Huston was among the athletes who complained that the medals were tarnished. After winning bronze in the men’s street event, Huston took to social media just days later to reveal how his medal had been tarnished.
Silver medalist Jagger Eaton, left, and bronze medalist Nyjah Huston pose with their medals after the victory ceremony for the men’s street skateboarding event during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at La Concorde in Paris on July 29, 2024. (KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
“Okay, so these Olympic medals look great when they’re brand new,” Huston said in a video posted to Instagram.
“But after letting it sit on my skin with some sweat for a little bit and then having my friends wear it over the weekend, it seems they’re not as high quality as you’d think.”
French swimmers Yohann Ndoye-Brouard and Clément Secchi also recently complained about their medals.
The medals were made to include polished pieces of iron taken from the Eiffel Tower that were salvaged from renovations.
