IOC issue statement with more than 100 Olympic athletes 'set to return' medals after Paris Games
Several athletes have complained that their medals have been damaged since the summer.
Ben McCrum
The International Olympic Committee have responded to news that over a hundred athletes had reportedly returned their medals.
Recent reports revealed that several of the world's best athletes were returning their Olympic medals after noticing that they had deteriorated since the Paris Games.
Team USA skateboarder Nyjah Huston was the first to notice the issue after he posted a picture of his medal just days after earning an Olympic bronze.
And now, the IOC have been forced to respond to the reports with an official statement confirming how they will address the issue.
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According to French online media outlet La Lettre, 'more than 100 defective medals have been returned by disgruntled athletes' because of the deterioration of the metal.
To address this issue, the IOC have confirmed that they will replace all medals that have been damaged, and investigate what has caused the issue.
In an official statement, the organisation announced: "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.
"Defective medals will be systematically replaced by the Monnaie de Paris and engraved identically.
"The replacement process should begin in the coming weeks."
In total, the French mint produced 5,084 medals for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, but it is unclear exactly how many will need to be replaced.
Several athletes have claimed that the damage started to appear on their medals after contact with their skin.
Writing about his medal on Instagram, Huston revealed: "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.
"It's looking rough. Even the front. It's starting to chip off a little."
While Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade, who beat Team USA's Simone Biles to win gold in the floor final, revealed that she was avoiding wearing her medals over fears of damaging them.