Quality of 2024 Paris Olympic medals comes under scrutiny

After previous controversy at the Paris Olympics caused by the beds in the Olympic Village and the poor quality of the water in the Seine River, the latest polemic comes in the shape of the poor quality of the medals. In this case, the American skateboarder Nyjah Huston who participated in the Street event winning a bronze medal on 29 July. The 29-year-old has posted a picture on social media where he points out the deterioration and current state of his medal, just a few days after having achieved the long-awaited dream that so many athletes dream of.

Huston has criticised the poor quality of his medal in a story on his Instagram profile. In the video he shows his medal, somewhat tarnished while claiming that it “looked good when it was new”. However, he adds that “after leaving it on my skin, with a little sweat at times, and then leaving it with my friends over the weekend, they are apparently not as good quality as one would think”, stated the illustrious skater.

The Californian, who is considered one of the most iconic skaters thanks to his multiple titles acquired in the Street League Skateboarding, joked that “it looks like the medal has just returned from the war” and shared a message from one of his followers telling him that “the medal could have been won in 1982” due to its current condition. “Maybe the quality should be improved a little,” he said. According to some estimates, the bronze medal is worth around €3.50, while the silver medal is worth €436 and the gold medal is worth €863.