IOC Responds to Azerbaijan’s Appeal over Degraded Paris Olympic Medals

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) responded to the appeal of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Azerbaijan regarding the deteriorating quality of medals awarded to Azerbaijani athletes at the 33rd Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France.

The medals of five Azerbaijani athletes, who emerged victorious at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, have significantly deteriorated. The pleas of these athletes were investigated by the National Olympic Committee, resulting in the dispatch of an official letter to the IOC, The Caspian Post reports, citing local media.

The International Olympic Committee, in turn, stressed the necessity to send the details of the medal-winning athletes as well as photographs of the damaged awards in various angles. The IOC will provide the National Olympic Committee with additional information on the medal renewal procedure following the relevant proceedings.

Notably, apart from Olympic judo champion Hidayat Heydarov (73 kg) and freestyle wrestling bronze medalist Magomedkhan Magomedov (97 kg), five out of Azerbaijan’s seven Olympic medalists from Paris 2024 experienced visible deterioration in their medals. This includes Olympic judo champion Zelym Kotsoiev (100kg) with a gold medal, silver medalists taekwondo fighter Gashim Magomedov (58kg) and boxer Alfonso Dominguez (92kg), as well as bronze medalists Greco-Roman wrestler Hasrat Jafarov (67kg) and freestyle wrestler Giorgi Meshvildishvili (125kg).