Athletes from all sorts of different sports, from hockey to shooting and skateboarding have stated that the prized possession of their 2024 Olympics campaign medals have started to lose their colors as the uppermost layer of their medals is fading away. They have started to demand new medals stating that they had worked tirelessly to win those medals.
Who are these athletes?
The list of the number of athletes that are asking for new medals is a long one. These include famous Indian shooters Manu Bhaker, Sarabjot Singh, and Swapnil Kusale. Even athletes from the Indian Hockey team like Hardik Singh have stated this issue. Talking about athletes from other countries, U.S.A’s medal-winning skateboarder Nyjah Huston and British diver Yasmin Harper have also raised their voices regarding this issue.
Discoloration issue:
The issue that most of these medals are facing is regarding the discoloration of the medals. Many athletes have reported that their Silver or Bronze medals have lost their shine and have started to look just like raw pieces of copper. This issue has never happened or has been reported in the history of the Olympics and this has led to many people joking about the medals stating that these medals are from 1924, not 2024.
Where were these medals made:
These Olympic medals were manufactured in the city of Paris in the Paris Mint, Monnaie de Paris. This must be noted that they have been behind the manufacturing of medals for the Olympics since 1896 which was the first time that the Olympics were held!. Talking about its design, it was the first time that the medals were designed by a jewelry firm. These medals were designed by the world-famous luxury jewelry firm Chaumet, who stated that they had taken inspiration from the Eiffel Tower as a design. One interesting fact about these medals is that these medals contain pieces from the
original Eiffel Tower embedded in the center of the medal.
Are these medals getting replaced?
The IOC (The International Olympic Committee) has stated that damaged medals will be replaced systematically by the Paris Mint, which is responsible for the manufacturing of these medals. This means that athletes like Manu Bhaker need not worry anymore as their medals will be getting replaced very soon. The date from which the procedure of replacement starts has not been revealed yet, but many believe that this process will begin within a week..