Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics 2026: Medals Breakages
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
It has been reported that some of the medals already awarded at Milan-Cortina 2026 are suffering breakages.
For example, two of the USA gold medallists, Breezy Johnson and Alysa Liu, have revealed that the ribbon came away from their medals soon after they received them.
The organisers have confirmed that they are giving "maximum attention" to the causes of the breakages.
Andrea Francisi, the chief games operations officer for Milan-Cortina 2026, has commented:
"We are fully aware of the situation … [and] … are looking into exactly what the problem is.”
And added:
"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."
It has not yet been confirmed whether the athletes affected will be given replacement medals.
This is not the first time that the quality of Olympic medals has been questioned.
As of February 2025, a total of 220 requests has been made to replace medals awarded at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, due to wear and tear; that is around 4% of the medals awarded.
The organisers of these Games have confirmed that any damaged medals will be replaced.
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘
