Less than a week into the opening of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, a concerning trend has emerged: winning athletes are finding their hard-earned medals are…fragile. At least four gold medalists have already experienced their prizes breaking, shattering, or splitting apart, a problem that has prompted an investigation by Olympic organizers.
The first high-profile incident involved American alpine skier Breezy Johnson. After securing the gold medal in the women’s downhill final on , Johnson’s medal cracked into three pieces during the celebration. “Well, I was jumping up and down in excitement and it fell off,” Johnson explained to reporters, displaying the fractured prize. “I think that’s maybe why it broke.” Her advice to fellow athletes was succinct: “Don’t jump in them.”
The issue isn’t isolated to the United States. U.S. Figure skater Alysa Liu revealed on Instagram that her team-event gold medal suffered a similar fate, posting a reel showing the medal separated from its ribbon. “My medal don’t need the ribbon,” she wrote.
What’s being done to fix the problem?
Olympic organizers acknowledged the issue at a press conference on , stating they are “fully aware of the situation” and investigating the cause. Andrea Francisi, the chief games operations officer for the Milan Cortina organizing committee, emphasized the importance of the medals to the athletes. “We have seen the images,” Francisi said. “We are paying maximum attention to this matter, as the medal is the dream of the athletes, so we want … the moment they are given it [to be] absolutely perfect, because we really consider it to be the most important moment. So we are working on it.”
The problem extends beyond the American contingent. German biathlete Justus Strelow experienced a similar mishap during a celebratory dance with teammates, his mixed relay bronze medal detaching from its ribbon and breaking. A video of the incident went viral on social media. The German biathlon team posted on Instagram, questioning, “Hey Olympics, what’s up with those medals? Are they not meant to be celebrated?”
Swedish cross-country skier Ebba Andersson also reported a broken medal, telling a broadcaster in her home country that her women’s skiathlon silver “fell in the snow and broke in two.” Andersson expressed hope that organizers had a “Plan B” for broken medals.
A spokesperson for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee stated they are awaiting a resolution from the organizers, though it remains unconfirmed whether replacement medals will be issued.
What’s causing the medals to break?
Initial investigations suggest the issue may stem from the connection between the ribbon and the medal itself. According to a source close to the situation, the medal’s “cord” is “fitted with a breakaway mechanism required by law,” designed to release automatically if pulled with force to prevent choking.
The 2026 Milan Cortina medals feature a unique design, split into two inclined halves – one mirrored and ice-like, the other frosty and granular – intended to symbolize the union of the two host cities and the teamwork behind each athlete’s success. The medals also incorporate a “newly designed inlet” to conceal the ribbon, which is where the connection appears to be failing.
Johnson explained the point of failure, stating, “So there’s the medal, and there’s the ribbon. And here’s the little piece that is supposed to go into the ribbon to hold the medal, and yeah, it came apart.”
While no longer made of solid gold since 1912, the medals remain valuable. Each gold medal (500 grams of sterling silver coated with 6 grams of pure gold) is currently worth approximately $2,400, while silver medals (500 grams of sterling silver) are valued at nearly $1,400. These figures have risen significantly since the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris due to increasing gold and silver prices.
Has this ever happened before?
This isn’t the first time Olympic medals have faced durability issues. Just months after the 2024 Paris Olympics, reports surfaced of over 100 medalists contacting the French mint, Monnaie de Paris, to request replacements due to deterioration. By , a total of 220 requests – roughly 4% of those awarded – had been submitted.
American skateboarder Nyjah Huston famously joked that his bronze medal from Paris “went to war” after showing signs of wear from contact with his skin. “They are apparently not as high quality as you would think,” Huston said. “I mean, look at that thing. It’s looking rough. Even the front is starting to chip off a little.”
The French mint responded by promising to replace any damaged medals with identically engraved copies.
