Olympic medals breaking in athletes’ hands during victory celebrations reveal troubling quality control failures at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Games, raising questions about how organizers could allow such an embarrassment on the world stage.
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Story Snapshot
- Multiple medals broke or detached from ribbons during athlete celebrations on February 8, 2026, including American gold medalists in downhill skiing and figure skating
- Milano-Cortina Organizing Committee launched an investigation into a “small number” of defective medals affecting athletes from the USA, Germany, and Sweden
- Athletes reported breaking medals after jumping in excitement, falling in snow, or simply handling them, prompting some winners to exercise extreme caution with their hardware
- The committee acknowledged taking the issue seriously, but provided no timeline for replacements or explanation for quality failures
American Athletes Bear Brunt of Medal Failures
Breezy Johnson’s downhill skiing gold medal was broken immediately after she jumped in celebration of her victory. The American athlete’s experience, captured on video and widely shared, became emblematic of a broader quality-control disaster at the Milano-Cortina Games.
Alysa Liu, who won gold in figure skating for Team USA, posted a video showing the ribbon on her medal detaching completely.
Fellow American figure skaters Danny O’Shea and Ellie Kam responded by handling their gold medals with excessive caution, with O’Shea stating he was “trying not to do too much jumping” and Kam revealing she slept with her medal under her pillow for safekeeping.
International Winners Face Same Problems
The defects extended beyond Team USA. Justus Strelow of Germany was filmed picking his biathlon bronze medal off the ground after it fell during celebrations. Sweden’s Ebba Andersson reported that her silver-medal cross-country skiing cross broke after she fell in the snow during post-race activities.
The incidents spanned multiple disciplines, including alpine skiing, figure skating, biathlon, and cross-country skiing, suggesting systemic manufacturing or design problems rather than isolated defects.
Athletes across nations expressed hope that organizers would implement what Andersson called a “Plan B” to rectify the situation and provide properly constructed replacements.
Committee Response Lacks Concrete Solutions
The Milano-Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee stated to CBS News on February 9, acknowledging awareness of “an issue affecting a small number of medals” and claiming to be investigating “the matter” with “maximum attention.”
The committee stated it was “taking the issue seriously, fully recognizing the significance these medals hold for the athletes.” However, organizers provided no timeline for replacements, no explanation for the failures, and no details on whether the remaining medals posed similar risks.
This lack of transparency leaves athletes uncertain about whether they will receive durable replacements or when such replacements might be made, undermining confidence in the Games’ administration.
2026 Winter Olympics committee looking into medals breaking and "taking the issue seriously" https://t.co/tpqtBSq1hU
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) February 9, 2026
Quality Standards Under Scrutiny
The breaking of medals highlights serious concerns about procurement and quality-control processes for items of immense symbolic importance. Olympic medals represent years of sacrifice, training, and achievement for athletes who dedicate their lives to competing at the highest level.
The organizers of the 2026 Games commissioned medals specifically for this event. Still, they failed to ensure they could withstand normal celebratory activities, such as jumping or falling in snow during outdoor winter sports.
No widespread medal failures of this nature have been documented at recent Olympic Games, making this incident particularly troubling.
The embarrassment reflects poorly on Italian manufacturing standards and Olympic oversight, potentially prompting future host cities to scrutinize supplier credentials and implement more rigorous testing protocols.
Sources:
2026 Winter Olympics committee looking into medals breaking and ‘taking the issue seriously’ – WDEF
Winter Olympics committee investigating why medals are breaking – KOMO News
Winter Olympics medals breaking – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
