The organizers of the Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina announced that they had eliminated a technical problem with the Olympic medals, which in the first days of the competition began to crack, break or separate after falling on the snow. This was reported by UNN with reference to The Guardian.
It is known that a decision was made to repair all awards that athletes received during the first three days of the competition. During a check conducted on Monday, it was found that the cause of the incidents was the medal cord, equipped with a special break mechanism, the use of which is mandatory according to safety requirements. This mechanism is designed to automatically disconnect in case of strong tension to prevent the risk of strangulation of the athlete.
At the same time, it was precisely this that led to a number of malfunctions. The first public case was recorded on Saturday, when American alpine skiing champion Breezy Johnson reported that her gold medal had detached from the ribbon during the victory celebration. The organizing committee announced that the problem has already been identified, and the necessary technical adjustments have been implemented.
Athletes whose medals were damaged were advised to return the awards through official channels for prompt repair and subsequent return. The organizing committee emphasized that the 2026 Games remain fully committed to ensuring the highest standards of quality, as Olympic medals symbolize the culmination of each athlete's many years of effort.
Other participants in the competition also reported similar incidents. In particular, Swedish skier Ebba Andersson said that her medal fell in the snow and broke in half. In addition, American figure skater Alysa Liu posted on Instagram that the clasp had come off the ribbon of her team gold medal.
During a daily briefing, organizing committee spokesman Luca Cassasa admitted that there is currently no precise information on the number of damaged or broken awards. At the same time, he emphasized that as a precaution, all medals are undergoing a re-check so that the moment of victory for athletes is associated exclusively with joy.