Indian and international athletes alike, who were a part of the 2024 Paris Games, are concerned with the quality of Olympic medals provided to them. Several medals are reported to be rusty and discolored. This has invited sharp criticism in general. The International Olympic Committee has also acknowledged the fact and is going ahead with a procedure for medal replacement.

Displeasure at Coloured Olympic Medals

Indian shooting medalists Swapnil Kusale and Sarabjot Singh have also gone on record complaining about the quality of their bronze medals won at Paris Games. Kusale, who won the 50m 3-position bronze medal, noticed that the color of his medal had started coming off within just seven days of the podium ceremony. “The color of the bronze medal came off within seven days of winning the medal.” “When I came to India, friends, coaches, and fellow shooters also pointed that out. An Olympic medal is a darling possession for a shooter and the removal of coating was visible. All who saw the medal noticed that”.

Other Indian Medallists Mention Similar Issues

All other medal recipients from India have also reported that their medals began to lose color over time. Manu Bhaker, along with other athletes, expressed concern over the deterioration of their prized possessions. Bhaker also won two Bronze medals in her 10 m air pistol individual event and mixed teams. These ones too are corroding. Those issues are getting noticed not only amongst the Indian athlete but also within the other Olympian across the globe.

Varinder Pal Singh, the father of hockey bronze medallist Hardik Singh, also voiced concerns about the quality of Olympic medals. He pointed out that his granduncle, Gurmail Singh, who won a hockey gold in the Moscow Olympics in 1980, had kept his medal in pristine condition for over four decades. “It has been more than 40 years since Hardik Singh’s granduncle Gurmail Singh won the Moscow Olympic hockey gold and that medal has seen years without any discoloration. The Paris Olympics bronze medal won by Hardik had discoloured and such things should not happen,” Singh said.

The IOC and National Olympic Committees Tackle the Issue

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has taken note of the complaints from athletes around the world. IOC has stated that it is in contact with the national Olympic committees of the concerned athletes. The IOC issued a statement confirming that the process of replacement for the damaged medals would be initiated in the first quarter of 2025. “An Olympic medal is a lifetime achievement and a cherished memory, and if any athlete feels that their medal has deteriorated because of poor quality and needs a replacement, we will request the IOC for replacement,” said Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha.

Damaged Olympic medals a global problem

Damaged Olympic medals are not the exclusive problem of Indian athletes. American skateboarder Nyjah Huston and French swimmers Yohann Ndoye-Brouard and Clément Secchi have also filed complaints with the IOC. The swimmers, particularly, seemed to liken their medals to “crocodile skin.”. In response, the French mint, Monnaie de Paris, which produced the medals, announced plans to replace all damaged medals. “The Monnaie de Paris has taken the issue of damaged medals very seriously since the first exchange requests in August, and has mobilised its internal teams,” the French mint said in a statement.

Drastic Measures to Fix Medal Issues

The IOC has already started working on changing the varnishing process of the medals and will replace all damaged medals at the athletes’ requests in the first quarter of 2025. The medals, which were designed by Parisian jewelry house Chaumet, were crafted with a hexagonal, polished chunk of iron taken from the Eiffel Tower. Though made from high-quality material, the medals have shown a lack of durability, causing massive concerns.