OPINION: Why The Paris Olympic Medals Failed

It's every event organiser’s worst nightmare.

You invest countless hours and resources into making custom medals for your event…

Only for them to be compared to antiques from a century ago.

That’s exactly what happened with last year’s Paris Olympic medals.

What started as a symbol of excellence quickly turned into a cautionary tale.

So, what happened?

The Paris Olympic medals have come under fire for their quality - or lack of it.

Within two weeks of the event, athletes began reporting rust stains, surface wear, and a dull finish to their medals.

Fast forward six months later, and the problem has only grown.

Newspapers around the world are reporting that more than 100 athletes have returned their medals due to these quality concerns.

In response, the Monnaie de Paris, which produced 5,084 medals for the Olympic Games, is now stepping in to replace them.

Nobody's quite sure who spotted the issue first, but Team USA skateboarder Nyjah Huston was one who made global headlines after he showed his bronze medal tarnishing a week after he won it.

Here's a picture of what I'm talking about:

Nyjah told his followers on Instagram that after he won the medal, it got a lot of wear - not just from him, but from his friends too, especially over the following weekend.

And honestly, who could blame him?

These are the people who backed his Olympic dream every step of the way.

But all the extra handling revealed a few flaws...

"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," Nyjah said.

"Olympics medals, [they've] maybe got to step up the quality a little bit."

After Nyjah's post, the International Olympic Committee, the folks responsible for handing out the medals, kicked off an investigation to understand what went wrong.

Meanwhile, other athletes began to come forward.

Among the most recent are French swimmers Clement Secchi and Yohann Ndoye-Brouard, who took to social medal to show off their peeling medals.

Clement said his medal looked like it had “crocodile skin”.

French swimmer Clement Secchi shows the damage to his bronze Olympic medal. CREDIT: Clement Secchi

What went wrong?

Sweat contains minerals like sodium, potassium, and calcium.

When these touch metal, it begins to corrode.

It’s even worse in hot, humid places - like Paris, where the Olympics were held.

It doesn't help that the decoration in the centre of the medals was made from old bits of iron of the Eiffel Tower and, as we know, iron is quick to rust.

But using corrosion-resistant materials like gold, platinum, or rhodium would have stopped this.

They would have acted as a barrier between the medal and the sweat.

So too would adding a protective coating, such as lacquer, varnish, or polymer.

And a thicker plating would have made the medal tougher.

Unfortunately, it looks like the medal didn’t have enough safeguards in place.

Especially for the athletes that liked to show them off!

What the Olympic medals originally looked like when handed to athletes. CREDIT: Paris Olympics

After the issue surfaced, the Monnaie de Paris owned up to the fact that its varnish wasn't up to scratch.

It hasn't detailed the specifics, but a French newspaper reported that new regulations forced the mint to remove chromium trioxide - a toxic chemical used to prevent metal from rusting - from its secret varnish recipe.

Without it, their medals didn't stand a chance against the wear and tear of athletes.

Their bronze medals seem to have it the worst, with issues popping up right after the Olympic Games - like with Nyjah.

That’s likely because the medals were dipped in bronze, a metal that corrodes easily. (Just think about how fast a bronze statue turns green.)

The Monnaie de Paris has said since the Olympic Games, they’ve tweaked their varnish recipe and changed how their medals are made, so they last longer.

It was working with the International Olympic Committee to replace the faulty medals with identical copies.

French swimmer Yohann Ndoye-Brouard says his medal looks like it came from the 1924 Paris Olympics. CREDIT: Yohann Ndoye-Brouard

The replacements would be sent out before the end of March.

What's the takeaway?

Investing in a quality suppliers means investing in the reputation of your event.

Because when your medals last, so does your legacy.

Right now, the International Olympic Committee is red-faced, scrambling the fix the damage their supplier caused.

Athletes around the world are joking that the medals look like relics from the last Paris Olympics, held in 1924.

The situation has shaken France's pride, with many seeing it as a blow to their country's reputation.

It's a stark reminder: quality matters, so choose a supplier you can count on.