Olympic Medals Malfunction at 2026 Winter Games, Prompting Urgent Investigation
Organizers of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympic Games are facing an unexpected crisis as multiple athletes have reported issues with their hard-earned medals detaching from the ribbons. This embarrassing situation has emerged just days into the competition, casting a shadow over what should be a moment of triumph for the world's top winter sports competitors.
Multiple Medal Malfunctions Reported
No fewer than three incidents have been documented during the first three official days of competition following Friday's Opening Ceremonies. The problems appear to center on the connection between the medals themselves and the ribbons that allow athletes to wear them around their necks during celebrations and ceremonies.
American alpine skier Breezy Johnson, who won gold in the women's downhill event on Sunday, demonstrated the issue during her post-event media conference. "So there's the medal. And there's the ribbon," Johnson explained to reporters while showing the separated components. "And here's the little piece that is supposed to go into the ribbon to hold the medal and, yeah, it came apart."
Affected Athletes Speak Out
The problem extends beyond just gold medals and American athletes. Figure skater Alysa Liu, another American competitor, shared on Instagram that her medal had similarly come undone. Her post featured a video showing the medal in one hand and the detached ribbon in the other, with the caption "My medal don't need the ribbon" from the team event held on Sunday.
German biathlon team members experienced issues with their bronze medals as well. A social media clip shows one team member celebrating with a jump, only to have his medal detach from the ribbon around his neck and fall to the floor. The video was captioned with the pointed question: "Hey Olympics, what's up with those medals? Are they not meant to be celebrated?"
Organizers Respond with Maximum Attention
Games officials have acknowledged the problem and are investigating with what they describe as "maximum attention." Andrea Francisi, Milan-Cortina 2026 chief games operations officer, stated: "We are fully aware of the situation. We are looking into exactly what the problem is. 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."
The International Olympic Committee has yet to comment on whether affected medals will be replaced for the current Games. This marks the second consecutive Olympic event with medal quality issues, following problems at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris where many medals began showing signs of tarnish and wear less than two years after those Games concluded.
Historical Context of Olympic Medal Problems
According to reports from the Paris Games, at least 220 requests have been made to replace medals awarded in 2024—approximately four percent of all medals distributed. The IOC previously stated that "damaged medals will be systematically replaced by the Monnaie de Paris and engraved in an identical way to the originals." The problem has become so prevalent that the official Olympics website now provides a dedicated link for athletes to request replacements, with a deadline set for June 2026.
This recurring issue raises questions about quality control for what should be among the most durable and meaningful symbols in international sports. As the Milano-Cortina Games continue, organizers face pressure to resolve the current problems while ensuring future Olympic medals meet the standards expected by athletes who dedicate years of training to earn them.
