Rio de Janeiro and Brazil have taken a lot of shit for biting off more than they could chew with the 2016 Summer Olympics, and now those medal-biting athletes might actually be breaking off their awards like chocolate bars.
According to Agence France-Presse, upwards of 142 medals have been falling apart since being awarded to the 2,021 athletes. Rio 2016 spokesman Mario Andrada said, according to AFP:
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“We’re seeing problems with the covering on between six or seven percent of the medals, and it seems to be to do with the difference in temperatures.”
Sounds like they’re melting. Again, like chocolate.
The silver medals are reportedly the most susceptible to degradation. Rio tried to get innovative last year and make their medals out of recycled materials. The silver medals were made up of “leftover mirrors, waste solders and X-ray plates,” boasting 92.5 percent purity, according to the IOC. Seems like that 7.5 percent may have broken them up a little bit.
In any event, the Brazilian mint and the IOC are making an effort to repair or replace the defective medals.
And thus concludes Rio’s metaphor as the gilded Olympics.
