Gold or a Toy? Olympic Medals Are Falling Apart

The organizing committee of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics has launched an investigation following complaints from athletes regarding the quality of their medals. As reported by the BBC, several Olympic champions found their prizes falling apart shortly after the official award ceremonies.

Gold medalists from the U.S. team, Breezy Johnson and Alysa Liu, were among the first to express their frustration. Breezy Johnson, the Olympic downhill alpine skiing champion, displayed her broken medal during a press conference. She explained that the metal piece connecting the ribbon to the medal loosened, causing the prize to fall to the ground.

Alysa Liu, who won gold in the figure skating team event, faced a similar situation. She posted a video on social media showing her medal and ribbon in separate hands, turning the mishap into a joke. Furthermore, members of the German team, who won bronze in the biathlon, filmed their medals falling apart while celebrating at their hotel.

Andrea Francisi, Chief Games Operations Officer for Milan-Cortina 2026, stated that they are aware of the situation and are investigating the root cause:

"We are fully aware of the situation and are looking into exactly what the problem is. This is one of the most important moments for the athletes, and we want the medals to be perfect. We are going to pay maximum attention to this issue," Francisi said.

Currently, there is no official confirmation on whether the athletes will receive replacement medals. The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee is awaiting a definitive decision from the organizers.

This is not the first time the quality of Olympic medals has been questioned. According to data from February 2025, over 220 requests were made to replace medals from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games due to wear and tear. At that time, athletes complained that their medals were tarnishing and showing signs of heavy degradation shortly after the Games.