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The 2026 Winter Olympics are investigating the physical integrity of their medals after multiple athletes have reported their gold, silver and bronze medals breaking shortly after being awarded.
After multiple videos of athletes showing their now-broken medals hit social media, Andrea Francisi, Milan-Cortina 2026 chief Games operations officer, issued a statement explaining that the minds behind the games are investigating the issue.
“We are fully aware of the situation,” Francisi said in a statement to the BBC on Monday, February 9, after multiple videos of seemingly faulty medals hit social media. “We are looking into exactly what the problem is.
Two of the USA’s gold medalists, Breezy Johnson and Alysa Liu, revealed their ribbons had come off their medals. Johnson, who won for women’s downhill alpine skiing, showed her broken medal at a post-event press conference.
“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,” she told reporters, per the Associated Press. “I’m sure somebody will fix it.”
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Meanwhile, Liu shared a video on social media after she won in figure skating that showed the ribbon had come off of her medal as well.
In a video of the German biathlon team celebrating their bronze medal, one of the athletes’ ribbons snaps, sending the medal to the ground where it breaks. Swedish cross-country skierEbba Andersson said her silver medal also detached from the ribbon and snapped into two pieces, per Reuters.
“We are going to pay maximum attention to the medals, and obviously this is something we want to be perfect when the medal is handed over because this is one of the most important moments for the athletes,” Francisi’s statement continued.
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A source told Reuters that the issue may stem from the medals’ cord, which is designed to break away as required by law to prevent accidental or purposeful strangulation of the wearer.
The BBC reports that it is not clear if the affected medalists will receive replacements for their broken medals. However, it notes that as of February 2025, some 220 requests for replacement medals won at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games have been made due to general wear and tear.
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This story The 2026 Winter Olympic Medals Keep Breaking, Forcing Investigation: ‘Somebody Will Fix It’ first appeared on Globe. Add Globe as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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