Olympic shame for Paris: Athletes return over 100 defective medals PHOTO

The Monnaie de Paris (government body that produces France's coins) has been embroiled in a crisis following the return of over 100 defective Olympic medals, with athletes expressing their dissatisfaction.

The issue, first highlighted by La Lettre, centres on cracks appearing in the medals’ varnish, a problem that has resulted in high-profile public complaints, including from American skateboarder Nyjah Huston and French swimmer Maxime Grousset, Caliber.Az reports via French media.

In response, Monnaie de Paris CEO Marc Schwartz dismissed the heads of production and quality, including Jacky Frehel, Éric Matte, and Hélène Juton, in an effort to address the issue. Frehel, the industrial director, announced his departure in late November, while Matte and Juton have not been seen since early October and December, respectively.

"The cracks are a result of a toxic substance in the varnish that had to be replaced unexpectedly due to a new EU regulation," explained a source familiar with the matter. The Monnaie de Paris has since engaged a Lyon-based company to help resolve the problem.

The Olympic medals' flaws are not an isolated incident, with the Monnaie de Paris facing a similar issue with medals for Chinese telecom giant Huawei. Following complaints in October 2023, over 12,000 defective medals were returned, underscoring concerns within the Monnaie’s production process.

Although the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed that defective medals would be replaced "in the coming weeks," no specific timeline was given. The crisis, coupled with a previous setback in the production of non-compliant euro coins, could cost the Monnaie de Paris millions.

A spokesperson for the Monnaie declined to comment publicly on the situation, citing "business confidentiality" and threatening legal action for defamation.

Two weeks ago, Olympic 4x100m medley winners Yohann Ndoye Brouard and Clément Secchi also posted images of their damaged bronze medals on X and Instagram. Secchi referred to his medal’s cracks as resembling "crocodile skin."

By Aghakazim Guliyev