The 2024 Paris Olympics, the biggest sporting event that ended on August 11, are no longer the only home of Olympic consecration: everyone can now win their own Olympic medal, thanks to China.
After the event ended, online shopping sites in China were filled with huge quantities of fake Olympic medals for sale, including those distributed during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Zinc medals, weighing 340 grams and 8.5 cm in diameter, are distributed on Chinese shopping sites. They are similar in design to the original medals, which contain silver (523 grams), gold (6 grams) and an ancient piece of iron with which the Eiffel Tower was built.
The prices of counterfeit medals range from 100 to 400 Chinese yuan, or between 14 and 56 dollars, making them accessible to many consumers.
The local electronic newspaper (Pepper) reported that the reasons for buying fake medals vary. Some collectors want to keep them as souvenirs, while others use them to motivate their children through the encouraging power of Olympic medals.
