Organisers Investigate Breaking Medals

Before the start of the Winter Olympics, most would have expected the headlines about sporting action. Yet Week 1 has already seen attention turn to a surprising problem: several medals awarded to athletes are breaking, with ribbons detaching or fittings failing soon after presentation.

The issue first emerged after American athletes Breezy Johnson and Alysa Liu revealed their gold medals had come apart shortly after being awarded. Johnson, who claimed gold in the women’s downhill alpine skiing, displayed her medal at a post-event media conference, showing the broken piece that connects the ribbon to the medal itself.

Liu shared a similar experience via social media, holding her figure skating team event gold and ribbon separately with the caption: “My medal don’t need the ribbon.”

Reports Being Investigated

Milan-Cortina 2026 organisers say they are “giving maximum attention” to the problem, emphasising that the medals are one of the most important parts of the athlete experience. Andrea Francisi, chief games operations officer, stated that officials are looking closely into what has caused the failures and are working to ensure replacement or corrective measures are in place.

The issue also affected the German bronze-winning biathlon team, whose medal detached from its ribbon during celebratory jumping at their team hotel. A US Olympic and Paralympic Committee spokesperson confirmed they are waiting on organisers to resolve the situation before taking further action.