New Delhi, Jan 15 (IANS): As the medals won by the athletes at the 2024 Paris Games have shown signs of rust and deterioration, an Olympic medallist slammed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and host nation France for 'defective medals' and said had the medals been presented in India, the global response would have been far more critical.
Various athletes, including Indian medal winners, took to social media to share that the medals they won have started to lose their shine within days of the podium ceremony.
Reacting to the issue, the Olympic medallist has called both the IOC and host nation France responsible for the quality of the medals.
"IOC and France are both responsible for these defective medals. Had it been in India then the entire world would have targeted us. These matters should not be taken lightly. I would request the government of India to take up this issue seriously," Olympic medallist told IANS on condition of anonymity.
However, the IOC said that Paris Games organisers are in contact with the committees with athletes that have filed complaints, and the replacement process will start in the coming weeks.
The Indian Olympic Association said that if any medallist needs a replacement of the medal due to its deterioration, then it will take up the case with the world body.
"The 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 need a replacement, we will request the IOC for a replacement," IOA president PT Usha said.
Monnaie de Paris, which produced the medals for the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, said it will replace all damaged medals at the athletes’ request after multiple complaints about the medals getting deteriorated.
According to information from French website La Lettre, more than 100 defective medals have already been returned by athletes to the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee (Cojop) in just four months.
Each Paris 2024 medal, designed by Chaumet, a luxury French jeweller, was adorned with a hexagonal piece of iron from the most iconic symbol of France: the Eiffel Tower. A 0.6 ounce piece of puddle iron is at the centre of each medal.
In total, the French mint produced 5,084 medals for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.