‘Haven’t taken it out partying’: Olympians return medals amid Paris farce

The Paris Olympics did so much right but the 2024 Games have left a bad taste in over 100 medal winners after a farcical blunder.

More than 100 Olympic and Paralympic medallists have returned their medals from Paris to get replacements, claiming their hardware has deteriorated since the Games last year.

Despite being less than six months on from the Games, many of the medals have lost their lustre and appear much worse for wear.

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One such athlete is Australian BMX bronze medallist Natalya Diehm, who took to social media almost immediately after the games to show just how tarnished the medal had become.

“So once I won bronze, I had so many people ask to see a photo of it or that I should post a video on my stories so that everybody could see it and I didn’t because this literally started to happen day one of me having the medal and I guess I just wanted to keep it quiet for a little,” Diehm said in a video in October.

“It’s unfortunate because the original bronze colour is so pretty.

“I’m not sure why this has happened to mine. I haven’t taken it out partying, it’s not from people touching it so much because this is a comparison to what a bronze medal should look like.

“Mine is one of the worst to come out of the Olympics this year. I’m hoping I can get it fixed or replaced. But this is it up and close.”

However, she is far from alone with Nine News reporting six Aussies will need to get new medals.

French website La Lettre found that there have been more than 100 requests from Olympic and Paralympic athletes from across the world to replace their medals.

However, they will be replaced with identical models, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) told AFP.

“The Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organising Committee is working closely with the Monnaie de Paris (the French state mint), the institution responsible for the manufacture and quality control of the medals, to assess any complaints about the medals and to understand the circumstances and cause of any damage,” the IOC said.

“Defective medals will be systematically replaced by the Monnaie de Paris and engraved identically.

“The replacement process should begin in the coming weeks.”

"4-5 days"? Looks more like 4-5 years. Photo: Instagram / _natalyadiehm

Two months on – c'mon Paris, get real. Photo: Instagram / _natalyadiehm

Natalya's medal on the left, a fresh Paralympic medal on the right. Photo: Instagram / _natalyadiehm

Natalya Diehm won bronze in the Womens Park Freestyle BMX in Paris. Picture: Adam Head

When contacted by AFP, a spokesperson for the Monnaie de Paris refuted the term “defective” and said that the medals signalled by athletes as being “damaged” since the month of August have already been replaced.

“We have replaced all the damaged medals since August and we will continue to do so in the same professional manner as before,” said the spokesperson, adding that replacements were “underway” and were being made “as requests come in”.

Since the Games, Olympians have been venting their frustrations with the medals on social media.

One such athlete was American skateboarder Nyjah Huston, who won bronze in the street skateboarding competition on July 29.

Ten days later he posted a picture of his medal, where he complained about its quality.

“These Olympic medals look great when they’re brand new, but after letting it sit on my skin with some sweat for a little bit and then letting my friends wear it over the weekend, they’re apparently not as high quality as you would think,” he said.

“It’s looking rough. Even the front. It’s starting to chip off a little.”

Nyjah Huston with his bronze medal. Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images

Manu Bhaker was India's flag-bearer at the closing ceremony. Photo: Instagram

Similarly British diver and bronze medallist Yasmin Harper almost immediately pointed out the issue.

“There’s been some small bits of tarnishing,” Harper said.

“I think it’s water or anything that gets under metal, it’s making it go a little bit discoloured, but I’m not sure.”

At the time, the 24-year-old said she wasn’t bothered too much “because it’s still a medal”.

And Indian athletes including shooters Manu Bhaker, Swapnil Kusale and Sarabjot Singh saw their bronze medals tarnish, while the nation’s bronze medal winning hockey team noted some damage.

The father of Bhaker, who was the first Indian to win two medals at one Olympics since independence, revealed her medals don’t “look like the medals are just a few months old from this Olympics”.

“Manu has now framed it and we have put it in a showcase at home,” he said. “We don’t take it out for fear that it could get damaged even more.”

According to La Lettre, the medals “had to bear the brunt of the new products used”, as new regulations banned a component of the varnish previously employed and “had to be replaced at short notice”.

The Paris Olympics and Paralympics had 5084 gold, silver and bronze medals handed out, and featured a six-edged metal medallion taken from the original Eiffel Tower in the centre.

All the metal used in the Paris medals, which weigh around half a kilogram, has been recycled.

With AFP

Originally published as ‘Haven’t taken it out partying’: Olympians return medals amid Paris farce