For any Paris Olympic swimmers who are considering celebrating their bronze medals around a pool, they might want to think twice.
Reports are already rolling in from Paris from athletes claiming their bronze medals have visibly deteriorated before the Olympics have even concluded. American skateboarder Nyjah Huston was the first to publicly criticize the quality of the bronze medals just a week after winning his hardware in the men’s street event, posting a photo on his Instagram story that showed serious discoloration.
“They’re apparently not as high quality as you’d think,” Huston said. “It’s looking rough. I don’t know, Olympic medals, we gotta step up the quality a little bid. The medal looking like it went to war and back.”
British diver Yasmin Harper echoed the sentiment after capturing bronze in the women’s 3m synchronized springboard last week.
“There has been some small bits of tarnishing I will admit, yes,” Harper said. “I don’t know, I think it’s like water or anything that gets on the metal, it’s making it go a little bit discolored.”
The good news is that Paris 2024 Olympic organizers responded to the social media firestorm on Friday, assuring athletes that damaged medals will be “systematically replaced.”
“Paris 2024 is aware of a social media report from an athlete whose medal is showing damage a few days after it was awarded,” a spokesperson told The Daily Mail. “Paris 2024 is working closely with the Monnaie de Paris, the institution tasked with the production and quality control of the medals, and together with the National Olympic Committee of the athlete concerned, in order to appraise the medal to understand the circumstances and cause of the damage. The medals are the most coveted objected of the Games and the most precious for the athletes.”
Bronze medals are not actually made of bronze, but rather “red brass.” Both brass and bronze are copper alloys, but red brass is made of more zinc than bronze is. Bronze is generally harder and more durable than brass, but brass is more malleable and easier to shape.
Each Paris Olympic medal features a small piece of iron from the Eiffel Tower, collected over the last century during renovations. The medals were designed by the Chaumet House of Jewellery, a luxury jewelry and watch brand headquartered in Paris. The backs of both the Olympic and Paralympic designs are the same, including the hexagon-shaped piece of iron.
The Paris Olympic bronze medal is slightly heavier than years past at 455 grams. According to the International Olympic Committee, 5,084 medals were made. They are 85 millimeters in diameter and 9.2 millimeters thick.
The existence of chemicals in a moist atmosphere — including chlorine — is the most significant cause of bronze deterioration.
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At least we know that after the worst Olympics in recent memory in LA28 we will have a fast pool, good food and no worms.
And if the report that LA28 organizers are pushing for the best and biggest games ever and inclusion of the 50m strokes is true…can’t wait for LA28! Hope there is not WW3 in time being
Agree with everything except for the 50s inclusion… so bad for the sport
We should have them replace the Statue of Liberty while they’re at it. It’s got a bunch of green crap all over it.
In LA it should be Platinum, gold, silver.
Worst olympics ever
So easy to say such a thing from your couch ahead your TV with a beer. It’s not what most of ahtletes say…
I can think of at least 1 that was worse.
Obviously you weren’t around in 1972.
Atlanta wasn’t so great either
“Most excellent”,except for Mr.Rudolph.
You seriously forgetting that one?
You are crazy. Most exciting ever..
They should’ve got silver
just when i was thinking that the medals were cool and were the one thing that Paris did well….
It’s bronze. It tarnishes. Gold does not. Silver too. People gotta pay attention in chem class.
It’s actually brass, not bronze. But yes, brass can tarnish too
Brass, bronze, copper, all tarnish.
Sometimes it is a desired effect. Patina.
If they were pure, sure. But they aren’t. And haven’t been for probably a century now. They should’ve been galvanized.
Like the will of the athletes that won them
Brass and the iron from the Eifel tower are very close on the galvanic scale, so assuming it has nothing to do with galvanic corrosion from dissimilar metals in contact.
If the bronze medalists wanted a nice medal they should have tried a little harder
This is getting downvoted into oblivion but I thought it was hilarious
beat me to the joke too, ugh.
same thing happened on the Peaty worms post, i’m losing the quickness
I have faith this next Olympic cycle is the Steve Nolan redemption arc
Nasty, but beautiful! LOL!
Came here to say this lol
Assuming you don’t actually mean this, that’s hilarious
This isn’t cool, I’ll be contacting a lawyer. Have fun in your 4×4 cell buddy