“The Bronze Shame of Paris”: Games Participants Return Defective Medals in Mass (3 photos)

Athletes who participated in the Summer Olympics in Paris returned more than a hundred medals that had begun to deteriorate.





The first to report the problem was American skateboarder Nyjah Huston, who back in December last year published a photo of his bronze medal with noticeable chips and rust. The athlete accompanied the photo with an ironic comment. "As if I went through a war," the athlete wrote on his social networks.



Following Houston, other athletes also began sharing photos of damaged medals on messengers. Some of them joked that the awards looked more like artifacts from Paris in 1924 than symbols of the modern Games. The organizers promised to replace the defective medals, but the incident sparked a wave of discussions.

What attracted special attention was the fact that the medals for the 2024 Olympics were made using recycled iron from the Eiffel Tower. This was supposed to emphasize the sustainability and environmental friendliness of the Games. However, as it turned out, the awards were not as durable as expected.

The situation caused discontent among athletes and fans, who expected that the medals would become not only a symbol of their achievements, but also a memorable souvenir that could last for many years.



The IOC assured that all medals would be replaced with new ones as soon as possible.