The Olympic medals are already collapsing, and we’re not even a week in – Nationals
Organizers of the 2026 Winter Olympics say they are investigating why the medals broke – less than a week before the Games – after some athletes reported problems.
Team USA figure skating gold medalist Breezy Johnson revealed during a press conference that the ribbon on his sporting hardware broke from the metal shortly after he was presented with the award.
“Here’s the medal. And there’s the ribbon,” he said, showing a single blue ribbon to a room full of reporters. “And here’s the little piece that has to go into the ribbon to hold the medal, and yes, we broke up.”
“I was jumping up and down for joy, it just fell,” he continued, before holding up a split gold pint.
“I’m sure someone will fix it… It’s not like it’s badly broken, but it’s a little broken,” he added, before warning his fellow athlete not to jump while wearing the medal.
American gold medalist Breezy Johnson shows her broken medal to the media following the women’s cross-country skiing at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre, Cortina d’Ampezzo, on Day 2 of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
Andrew Milligan/PA Photos via Getty Images
Likewise, Alysa Liu, who won the gold medal for Team USA, revealed that her medal broke shortly after winning it.
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“My medal doesn’t need a ribbon,” he wrote in an Instagram video showing different things.
Fellow event gold medalist Ellie Kam said Liu, her roommate, was jumping for joy when the medal fell and picking up “a few teeth.”
“He was so happy that he was jumping up and down, and the medal is so heavy on the ribbon, I think it just fell out,” Kam told Reuters on Monday.
Liu later replaced the medal, Kam said.
“It was more drama than I thought there would be when I went back to my room,” he added. “But all is well and good.”
The medal of the German athlete Justus Strelow was also destroyed during the celebrations.
A video of him and his biathlon team celebrating their third-place finish showed the medal breaking from the ribbon and falling to the ground as he jumped up and down.
“Hey Olympics, how are those medals?” caption read. “Aren’t they meant to be celebrated?”
Meanwhile, Swedish skier Ebba Andersson said her silver medal “fell on the ice and broke in two” during the victory.
“Now I hope the organizers have a Plan B for broken medals,” he said.
The CEO of Milan-Cortina 2026, Andrea Francisi, told the BBC that event organizers are aware of the issue and are investigating.
“We are fully aware of the situation,” he said. “We have carefully looked at where the problem is.
“We will pay more attention to the medals, and it is clear that this is something that we want to be perfect when the medal is presented because this is one of the most important moments for the athletes.”
A source close to the situation told Reuters that the issue may have stemmed from the medal line, which is connected by a cut-off method required by law.
The system is designed to automatically release when pulled forcefully, preventing the wearer from suffocation.
– With files from Reuters
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
