French swimmers have complained about severe wear and tear on the bronze medals they won at the 2024 Paris Olympics, just six months after receiving them.
They published footage of the spoiled awards on social networks, TASS reported with reference to the LCI TV channel.
Initially, swimmer Clément Secchi posted photos of his medal in the automatically deleted stories section of the social network Instagram. According to him, in its current state, with the bronze coating peeling off, it looks more like a product made of crocodile skin.
When another user posted these photos on the social network X, another swimmer, Yoan Dnoye Brouard, reacted to the publication, who also complained about the deplorable state of his medal. “Paris 1924,” he wrote in accompaniment to two photographs, in which, in addition to the flyaway bronze coating, the degradation of the steel fragment in the center, which, according to the creators, is made from structures dismantled from the Eiffel Tower, is also noticeable.
This is not the first complaint about the quality of the Olympic medals produced by the Paris mint for the Games held in France in the summer of 2024. So, even before the end of the competition in August, American skateboarder Nyjah Huston, who took third place in the sprint skateboard competition, complained on social networks that the bronze medal he won a few days after being awarded “looks like it went through a war.” . The photographs he published show gray spots covering one side of the medal, as well as chips and scratches on the reverse side. According to him, the condition of the medal deteriorated significantly after he walked around with it around his neck for a while and then gave it to his friends to wear over the weekend.
After Houston’s complaint, the Olympic Organizing Committee promised to replace the medals of all athletes who complained about damage or poor quality of their workmanship. The organizing committee also announced their intention to find out the circumstances under which his medal was damaged.
But there is nothing to find out there. This is basic chemistry. Bronze is a metal that requires special care as it oxidizes over time. This process is natural for bronze and without proper attention it can lose its original shine and become coated. To maintain its appearance, it is necessary to regularly clean and protect the surface from moisture and air.
It’s just that the French athletes apparently don’t care about the condition of the medals they won, as a result of which they became as dirty as the Seine, which caused only disgust and disappointment. In short, the Paris Olympics, remembered for many unpleasant moments, seemed to show the entire spectrum of horror that one could imagine. As you can see, it continues to this day.