Azernews.Az

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games, already memorable for the unfortunate scenes during the opening ceremony, have once again captured headlines with new scandals. Despite the games having ended only recently, the medals awarded to the winners have already started to deteriorate, Azernews reports.

On social media, two French swimmers posted photos of their bronze medals, proudly won in the capital's pools this summer. Just a few months after the events concluded, the medals are in remarkably poor condition, much to the dismay of their owners.

Yohann Ndoye-Brouard, who came third in the men's 4x100m medley relay, shared on X the advanced state of degradation of his bronze medal. "Paris 1924," he added, implying that it looked like a century-old medal. The images revealed a heavily damaged surface, with layers of metal that appeared to have not withstood various manipulations.

Ndoye-Brouard is not the only athlete facing this issue. His teammate in the relay, Clément Secchi, has observed similar damage. In an Instagram story, he described the "crocodile skin" appearance of his bronze medal.

Concerns about the quality of the awards had already been raised by athletes as early as August. Most of the issues seemed to affect bronze medalists. American Nyjah Huston, who came third in the street skateboarding event, also noted damage. "These medals look great when they're brand new. But after wearing it and sweating a little or letting my friends wear it over the weekend, it's clearly not as good quality as you might think," he commented.

The rapid degradation of these Olympic medals has led to widespread criticism and disappointment among athletes and spectators alike. The organizing committee now faces scrutiny over the quality of the medals and the potential implications for future events.

😭😭 Paris 1924 pic.twitter.com/WzfoV3ECQt

— Yohann Ndoye Brouard (@yohann_2911) December 28, 2024