It’s been less than a year since Rio hosted the 2016 Olympics but medal winners from Malaysia are now complaining that their medals are deteriorating. The medals, which are given to the athletes that finish in the first three places at their sport, are a big thing at the Olympics since it’s what athletes get to take home.
The Malaysian team won a few medals at the Rio 2016 Olympics but their achievement is now starting to deteriorate just less than a year after the event. The team won a total of seven silver medals and one bronze medal. It was Malaysia’s highest medal tally at the Olympics. But some of the winners say the medals have started to lose their color. That’s not all, they also say some pieces of the color are coming off the medal.
Quality and Replacements
Most of the Malaysian team that won at the event has a complaint about the quality of the medals. Cyclist Azizulhasni Awang, who won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, spoke to the Malay Mail about the state of his medal. The cyclist is disappointed about the state of the bronze medal and wants to get help from the country to get a replacement. He said that his medal looks old and has scratches on it. He added that they gave their best and that it is extremely sad that the medal is of poor quality. He finished by saying that many of them may never win another medal and that he hopes the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) can help them get a replacement.
A Rio Olympics official has reportedly said the damaged medals will be repaired or replaced. Other members of the Malaysian Olympic team told Malay Mail that the color was fading. These athletes are also looking to get a replacement. According to a report from AFP, around six or seven percent of the medals given at the event are having this problem. The majority are said to be silver medals.
Tokyo 2020 Medals
The next host of the Olympics, Tokyo, is already making preparations to have medals made from recycled metal. The Tokyo Olympics are still three years away but Japan has already launched a green initiative to create medals from recycled smartphones and other electronics. Organizers have asked the public to donate old smartphones and old electronic devices to collect the metal needed.
