Although no Jamaican athlete has reported any issue with the state of the medals won at the Paris Games last year, Jamaica Olympic Association President Christopher Samuda says he’s confident the organisers of the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028 and beyond will ensure the medals handed out will be of the best quality.

This comes following the Paris 2024 organisers saying the French mint, the Monnaie de Paris, will replace any damaged medals from last year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games following a host of complaints from athletes across several disciplines.

The medals were designed by the French luxury jewellery and watch brand Chaumet, with production carried out by the French mint. They include preserved pieces of iron from the original Eiffel Tower, which were put into storage after renovation work in the 20th century.

However, athletes, including American skateboarder Nyjah Houston, British diver Yasmin Harper, and French Swimmers Yohann Ndoye-Brouard and Clément Secchim took to social media to show the deteriorating state of their medals.

On Friday, the French mint said it received 220 requests for medals to be replaced. It says the replacements will be identical to the original but a protective varnish will be added to increase their durability.

The Jamaica Observer understands that none of Jamaica’s six medallists — Roje Stona, Shanieka Ricketts, Kishane Thompson, Rajindra Campbell, Wayne Pinnock, and Rasheed Broadbell — have reported issues with their medals.

While calling the incident unfortunate, Samuda says future Olympic Games organisers will need to be proactive to prevent a recurrence.

“Paris will bemoan the fact that its medals now have a dubious place in history,” he told the Observer. “The city certainly had very good intentions, but the unimaginable has happened, and now the medals will have to be returned to the Monnaie de Paris mint.

“Successors in title to the Games will take note and do their risk assessments as the aspirations and ultimate euphoria of podium candidates should not be attenuated as they would prefer to place their minted real estate in the cabinet and not have caused to return them to the market.”

Samuda, though, says he’s hoping athletes look past the tangibility of their accomplishment.

“I understand the athletes’ anxiety and disappointment, but they must cherish the priceless value of their achievement and moment in sporting history, which, unlike imperfect medals, are irreplaceable,” he said.

The 220 medals to be replaced represent four per cent of the 5,084 awarded at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics.

The French mint said in a press release on Friday that it “has replaced some of them and is continuing its replacement operation at the request of the athletes”, and it “had done everything possible, from August 2024, to ensure the replacement of the medals concerned”.

The Paris 2024 medals designed by the French luxury jewellery and watch brand Chaumet.(Photo: AFP)

Shanieka Ricketts of Jamaica displays the women’s triple jump silver medal during a presentation ceremony of the Olympic Games at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on August 4, 2024.

Jamaica Olympic Association President Christopher Samuda.