Organizers of the 2024 Olympics have pledged to replace athletes’ rusty medals after Team USA skater Nyjah Huston revealed the condition of his bronze medal a week after winning it in Paris.
On Thursday, the 29-year-old showed his Instagram followers how his medal had begun to peel shortly after returning to the United States.
As the story continues to gain traction, Olympic organizers have promised to replace the damaged medals.
“Paris 2024 is aware of a report on social media of an athlete whose medal showed damage a few days after being delivered,” a spokesperson for the games told Mail Sport.
«Paris 2024 is working closely with the Monnaie de Paris, the institution responsible for the production and quality control of medals, and the National Olympic Committee of the athlete concerned, in order to assess the medal and understand the circumstances and cause of the damage.»
Olympic organizers will replace rusty medals after Nyjah Huston shared the status of his
Huston’s bronze medal in Paris began to peel off after his celebrations in the United States
Huston took a bronze medal in the French capital, finishing behind gold medalist Yuto Horigome of Japan and fellow American Jagger Eaton in the men’s street final.
Days after returning to the United States, Huston shared his thoughts on the quality of the hardware and explained the light activities that caused wear and tear on the medal.
“Okay, these Olympic medals look great when they’re new,” he said.
“But after letting it sit on my skin with some sweat on it for a while and letting my friends wear it over the weekend,” Huston continues before pausing and turning the camera back to his medal.
The lack of quality of the medal is evident in the peeling of the bronze color in various areas of the piece.
“Apparently they are not as high quality as one might think,” he said before focusing on the peeling colors. “They look rough.”
The 29-year-old claimed a podium spot behind Yuto Horigome and Jagger Eaton.
Huston has 12 X Games gold medals and six World Championship gold medals.
Huston joked that his medal looked like it had “gone to war and come back” on Instagram
Although the back of the medal was significantly more damaged, the front was not safe from splinters either, as Huston turned it around for the camera.
“I don’t know, the Olympic medals… we have to improve the quality a little bit,” he says in the clip.
Huston has won 12 X Games gold medals and six World Championship gold medals. She has also won nine silver medals and four bronze medals in both competitions.
While her Olympic debut ended with a podium finish, her prized piece of Games memorabilia lost its cachet shortly after her victory. In another slide, Huston joked that the medal looked “like I’d been to war and back.”
“Medals are the most coveted items at the Games and the most precious to the athletes,” the spokesman added. “Damaged medals will be systematically replaced by the Monnaie de Paris and engraved identically to the originals.”