California fires: Former swimmer Garry Hall Jr receives replicas of his destroyed Olympic medals

Hall Jr. collected medals between 1996 and 2004 during the Olympic Games. He won five gold, three silver and two bronze medals. Like so many others, he was recently forced to leave his home in Los Angeles due to fires, after which his property was burned to the ground. The former swimmer did not have time to take his medals.

The IOC comes to the aid of Hall Jr., who is now 50 years old. “We all stand in solidarity with the people of Los Angeles and have great admiration for the tireless work of the firefighters and security services,” Thomas Bach said in a statement Sunday. “We also learned that Olympic legend Gary Hall Jr. lost all his medals in the fires. The IOC will provide him with replicas.”