Milano Cortina Winter Olympics 2026: Why are the victory medals cracking and getting dented?

Olympic medals represent the pinnacle of human achievement, years of sweat, sacrifice, and triumphs etched in gold, silver, or bronze. Hung around an athlete's neck, they symbolise not just victory but a lifetime of dreams realized in front of the world.

Yet at Milano Cortina Winter Olympics 2026, these prized symbols are turning to be brittle symbols of quality and dreams, sparking questions about quality control just days into the Games.

Winter Olympics medals are breaking up and getting dents?

At the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, gold, silver, and bronze medals are reportedly breaking soon after the ceremonies. According to a Reuters report, an American downhill skier, Breezy Johnson, showed her chipped gold minutes after the podium, telling reporters, "It is heavy, it’s broken".




German biathlete Justus Strelow's bronze cracked on the floor during team celebrations, while Sweden's Ebba Andersson said her skiathlon silver "fell in the snow and broke in two," quoted by SVT via Reuters. U.S. skater Alysa Liu's team gold ribbon detached, per her Instagram post.

Organizers launched an urgent probe

Andrea Francisi, Milano Cortina Chief Games Operations Officer addressed the issue at a February 9 press conference, saying, "We are fully aware of the situation and you have seen the pictures... We are looking into what exactly the problem is," according to Reuters.

He pledged, "We will pay maximum attention to the medals ... so that everything will be perfect because this is one of the most important things for the athletes."

Francisi said this to the BBC, noting they're giving it "maximum attention" as medals are athletes' "dream".

The medal cord has a breakaway mechanism

A source told Reuters the medals' cords have a legal breakaway mechanism to prevent choking if pulled hard. This safety feature may snap under excitement, like jumping, causing medals to fall and chip. The design has two "discs of ice" halves joined by Olympic symbols, weighing 500g for gold/silver with 6g gold content and 420g bronze.

What does the medal design symbolise

The medals have frosted and polished textures to symbolise the athlete and their support network. In the Paris 2024 Games, 220 medals required replacement due to tarnishing, according to BBC reports.

ABC News noted at least four incidents by day three of Milano Cortina, with Andrea Francisi committing to swift fixes.