Medal Mishap: Winter Olympics Officials Scramble for Fix After Breakage Concerns Erupt
In a bid to salvage what was already a tarnished image of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, officials have finally identified and fixed the root cause behind the spate of medals cracking, snapping, and breaking in two - issues that emerged after athletes celebrated their victories in the snow.
The problem, it turns out, lay with the breakaway mechanism fitted to the medal's cord, a safety feature designed to release automatically if pulled with force, thereby preventing wearers from being choked. While intended to be a safeguard, this very same system has been causing problems that started manifesting on Saturday.
The first cracks began to show when American downhill skiing champion Breezy Johnson revealed that her gold medal had fallen off her ribbon as she jumped for joy after securing the top spot. This was not an isolated incident; several other athletes followed suit with reports of their medals breaking or suffering similar issues, including Sweden's cross-country skier Ebba Andersson and US figure skater Alysa Liu.
In response to these concerns, Milano Cortina officials have promised to repair any damaged medals, a move welcomed by those who had been left feeling embarrassed and frustrated. According to spokesman Luca Casassa, the organisation has worked closely with the State Mint that produced the medals to identify and fix the issue.
Casassa assured athletes whose medals were affected to return them through designated channels so that they can be promptly repaired and returned. He also stressed that Milano Cortina remains committed to ensuring that all Olympic medals meet the highest standards of quality and care.
While officials cannot confirm the exact number of medals damaged, Casassa noted that a recheck of all medals was necessary to ensure that athletes' joy is unadulterated when they achieve their hard-won victories.
In a bid to salvage what was already a tarnished image of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, officials have finally identified and fixed the root cause behind the spate of medals cracking, snapping, and breaking in two - issues that emerged after athletes celebrated their victories in the snow.
The problem, it turns out, lay with the breakaway mechanism fitted to the medal's cord, a safety feature designed to release automatically if pulled with force, thereby preventing wearers from being choked. While intended to be a safeguard, this very same system has been causing problems that started manifesting on Saturday.
The first cracks began to show when American downhill skiing champion Breezy Johnson revealed that her gold medal had fallen off her ribbon as she jumped for joy after securing the top spot. This was not an isolated incident; several other athletes followed suit with reports of their medals breaking or suffering similar issues, including Sweden's cross-country skier Ebba Andersson and US figure skater Alysa Liu.
In response to these concerns, Milano Cortina officials have promised to repair any damaged medals, a move welcomed by those who had been left feeling embarrassed and frustrated. According to spokesman Luca Casassa, the organisation has worked closely with the State Mint that produced the medals to identify and fix the issue.
Casassa assured athletes whose medals were affected to return them through designated channels so that they can be promptly repaired and returned. He also stressed that Milano Cortina remains committed to ensuring that all Olympic medals meet the highest standards of quality and care.
While officials cannot confirm the exact number of medals damaged, Casassa noted that a recheck of all medals was necessary to ensure that athletes' joy is unadulterated when they achieve their hard-won victories.
It's like, I get it, accidents happen, but can't we design something that doesn't have to be so... fragile? 
And now athletes are actually worried about their medals breaking off? 
Like, what's next? Worries about the ribbon coming undone? 
It's all just a bit of a mess.
the cord thingy was supposed to prevent wearers from choking but now it's just causing more problems than it's worth 
but seriously, it's pretty frustrating for those who did experience the issue.
and yeah, I'd hope all Olympic medals meet high standards of quality from now on 
. What if it was all part of some bigger scheme to discredit the Olympics? Like, maybe they're trying to distract us from something else going on behind the scenes 
. I know it sounds far-fetched, but have you seen how convenient it is that only now are they fixing the issue after athletes started complaining? 
.
and now the officials are scrambling to fix it 
. Apparently, the breakaway mechanism on those medals was meant to be a safety feature, but it ended up causing more problems than it solved 
Not me, that's for sure! 
. The good news is that they're going to repair any damaged medals, which is a big relief for all those athletes who were left feeling embarrassed and frustrated 
. On the bright side, at least the athletes' joy was still unadulterated when they achieved their victories, right? 
I'm starting to think the real prize in the Olympics isn't actually winning, but just getting through without too many mishaps. 
. And the worst part is, athletes had to deal with this stress on top of winning their medals in the first place 
. The fact that officials are only now fixing the issue is like, too little too late, IMO 
. And can we please talk about how much money these medals must've cost to produce? It's just another example of the Olympics being a bloated, expensive mess 
...
" On the bright side, it's not like anyone got hurt or anything... but I guess the medals' safety feature was a bit of a "safety net"... 
. And what really gets me is that it might've been preventable if they'd just tested the thing more thoroughly 
. Anyways, I'm glad the officials are stepping in to fix things and get those medals all fixed up 
!
. It's like they wanted a medal drama 
.
I mean, I get it, the safety feature might've been well-intentioned, but poor design choice, right? 
Milano Cortina is definitely on top of fixing the issue ASAP. 
I mean, you can't have medals breaking during celebrations... it just wouldn't be the same 
. The good news is that officials have finally found out what went wrong with the medals' breakaway mechanism and fixed it