A view of the gold, silver, and bronze medals of Paris Olympics on display in a Louis Vuitton case at Troacdero Stadium in Paris.
Credit: Reuters via Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sport
Apart from the many heartwarming stories of success, spectacular achievements, and unadulterated jubilation, Paris Olympics 2024 also wasn't devoid of controversies. From contention over River Seine's questionable water quality to the gender-row involving Algerian boxer Imane Khelife, the recently concluded sporting spectacle has had its share of controversial talking points.
Adding to that list, a skateboarder from USA named Nyjah Huston - who won the skateboarding bronze medal in Paris on July 29 - raised questions regarding the quality of medals given to the winning athletes.
Showing a rather worn-out condition of his bronze medal to his followers, Huston posted a video as an Instagram story on August 8, saying, “Alright so 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”.
“I mean look at that thing. It’s looking rough. Even the front. It’s starting to chip off a little. So yeah I don’t know, Olympic medals, you maybe gotta step up the quality a little bit", he further added, highlighting the ragged state of the medal.
In another Instagram story, he shared a picture of his bronze medal with the caption, “Medal looking like it went to war and back.”
Screengrab from the Instagram story shared by US skateboarder Nyjah Huston.
Credit: Instagram/nyjah
Reportedly, Paris Olympics officials have, however, assured Huston of a replacement medal. As per a report by TIME, a spokesperson of the Paris Olympics said, "Paris 2024 is aware of a social media report from an athlete whose medal is showing damage a few days after it was awarded. Paris 2024 is working closely with the Monnaie de Paris, the institution tasked with the production and quality control of the medals, and together with the National Olympic Committee of the athlete concerned, in order to appraise the medal to understand the circumstances and cause of the damage."