The Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics are off to a rocky start, with reports of multiple athletes encountering issues with their medals. Within days of the opening ceremonies, at least four winning competitors have experienced their hard-earned medals breaking, including Team USA’s first gold medalist, Breezy Johnson.
Alpine skier Johnson achieved a thrilling victory over Germany’s Emma Aicher by a mere four-hundredths of a second in the women’s downhill final on Sunday. However, her celebration was cut short when her gold medal shattered into three pieces during the medal ceremony. “I was jumping up and down in excitement, and it fell off,” she recounted to reporters, showcasing the broken pieces. Johnson humorously cautioned her fellow athletes, “Don’t jump in them.”
Another example of this unfortunate trend came from U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu, who revealed on Instagram that her gold medal from the team event also fell victim to a similar fate. Liu shared a video where she held her medal in one hand and its blue ribbon in the other, playfully stating, “My medal don’t need the ribbon.”
The Olympic organizers quickly addressed the situation during a press conference on Monday, stating they are “fully aware” of the problem and are investigating the root causes. Andrea Francisi, chief games operations officer for the Milan Cortina organizing committee, emphasized the athletes’ dreams tied to their medals and promised that ensuring a flawless presentation at the medal ceremony is a top priority.
This breaking trend isn’t limited to American athletes; European competitors have also faced similar issues. German biathlete Justus Strelow’s mixed relay bronze medal detached while he celebrated with teammates, and a smaller piece of the medal subsequently broke off. Swedish cross-country skier Ebba Andersson shared her own experience, noting her silver medal fell into the snow and split in two, prompting her to hope the organizers would have a “Plan B” for such occurrences.
According to reports, the issues with the medals may arise from a problematic connection between the ribbon and the medal. A source indicated that the ribbon contains a breakaway mechanism designed to prevent choking hazards, but this may also result in the medals easily coming apart. The medals’ design features two inclined halves, symbolizing both host cities, Milan and Cortina, with a mirrored surface and a frosty texture.
Despite their worth—roughly $2,400 for each gold medal and nearly $1,400 for silver—these medals have proven to be more fragile than expected. This situation mirrors past incidents from the 2024 Paris Olympics, where over 220 athletes reported damage to their medals shortly after the Games concluded.
As the events continue, one can only hope that the Milan Cortina organizers resolve these issues promptly to ensure that the athletes can celebrate their achievements without fear of their medals breaking and that they can focus entirely on their sport.