India midfielder Hardik Singh reveals fading colour of bronze medal won in Paris Olympics: 'They had one job'

Two months after the Indian men’s hockey team won a historic bronze in the Paris Olympics, midfielder Hardik Singh revealed that the medal’s colour is starting to fade away and questioned its quality.

The Paris 2024 organisers had said that the medals awarded in this year’s Olympics as well as Paralympics contained scrap metal from the iconic Eiffel Tower in the French capital.

The scrap metal had been collected during refurbishments and repairs on the Parisian landmark and stored in a warehouse before being put to use for the Games.

Hardik, however, expressed his doubts as to whether the medals really contained iron from the Eiffel Tower or not, though he maintained that standing on the Olympic podium is his “biggest achievement”.

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The medal had iron from the Eiffel Tower, we were told, I hope its true. They had one job of making a good quality medal which is not the case. No problem. Still, I would say this is my biggest achievement," Hardik said on the Oversharing With The Jhumroo podcast.

Hardik also revealed a tattoo of the Olympic rings on his right arm, in which one of the rings has been deliberately left incomplete. The 26-year-old added that the tattoo would be complete only after he helped India win Olympic gold.

The Indian men’s hockey team made history in the Paris Games in August by winning a second consecutive bronze, making it the first time since the 1972 Munich Games that India won back-to-back medals in the Olympics.

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The Harmanpreet Singh-led and Craig Fulton-coached team defeated Australia 3-2 in the group stage en route to bronze, beating the Kookaburras in the Olympics for the first time in 52 years.

India would then carry the momentum from the Olympics into the Asian Champions Trophy last month, in which they defeated hosts China 1-0 in the final to win the tournament for the fifth time in eighth editions and for the second time on the trot.