Paris 2024 Olympic Medals Recalled Over Quality Issues
More than 100 medals, mostly bronze, have been returned due to rust, flaking, and tarnishing, with the French mint and EU regulations identified as key factors.
- The Monnaie de Paris, France's national mint, has acknowledged manufacturing flaws in the medals, citing a varnish issue linked to a recent EU ban on chromium trioxide, a key anti-corrosion chemical.
- Over 100 athletes, including medalists from the U.S., Australia, and France, have reported problems with their medals, primarily bronze, which have shown signs of rust and peeling within months of the Games.
- The International Olympic Committee has apologized and pledged to replace all defective medals, ensuring identical engravings to the originals.
- The medals, designed by LVMH-owned luxury jeweler Chaumet, incorporated pieces of the Eiffel Tower but were produced by the Monnaie de Paris, which has faced scrutiny for not testing the new varnish adequately before production.
- LVMH, a major sponsor of the Paris Games, has distanced itself from the controversy, stating that its role was limited to designing the medals and not their production.
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