Manu Bhaker, Aman Sehrawat complain of Paris medals losing sheen

India’s star pistol shooter Manu Bhaker and wrestler Aman Sehrawat are among the medallists at the 2024 Paris Olympics who — believe it or not — are complaining that their medals are losing their sheen. Left somewhat red-faced at the allegation that the colour is fading on some of the medals, the International Olympics Committee (IOC) said it was in the process of replacing them.  

India men’s hockey player Hardik Singh, a member of the bronze medallist team, lodged a similar complaint. French online media outlet La Lettre has claimed “more than 100 defective medals have been returned by disgruntled athletes” months after the conclusion of the Paris Olympics.

The IOC said in reply: “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,” the statement added.

Monnaie de Paris, however, refuted the term 'defective', and claimed that the medals pointed out by athletes as defective since August have been replaced and that further replacements are being issued as requests come in. “We have replaced all the damaged medals since August and we will continue to do so in the same professional manner as before,” a spokesperson for the French governmental institution said, adding that replacements were “underway” and were being made “as requests come in”.

The 5,084 medals awarded at the Paris 2024 Games (Olympics as well as Paralympics) were designed by luxury jewellery and watch firm Chaumet (part of the LVMH conglomerate) and produced by the Monnaie de Paris. Each of those medals contained pieces of the iconic Eiffel Tower that were taken from the Parisian monument’s operating company.

Bhaker is the first Indian post-Independence to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics. She opened India’s medal account at the Games by winning a bronze in the individual 10m air pistol event, becoming the first markswoman from the country to win an Olympic medal.

The 22-year-old then joined forces with Sarabjot Singh to bag the 10m air pistol mixed team bronze and has been conferred with the Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award.