Multiple Olympians at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics recently came forward, claiming their medals broke within hours, if not minutes, of being awarded their gold, silver, or bronze.
Given that the Milano Cortina medals are reportedly the most expensive in Olympic history due to record-high metal prices, the poor quality immediately sparked outrage and raised serious questions about quality control.
Highlights
- Multiple Olympians claimed their Milano Cortina 2026 medals broke within minutes of receiving them, sparking outrage and a wave of “Temu medal” jokes online.
- The scandal grew even bigger because the medals are reportedly the most expensive in Olympic history, despite being made from recycled metals.
- Organizers have launched an official investigation after athletes shared viral videos of medals detaching, falling, and even breaking into pieces.
As frustrated athletes shared photos and complaints online, organizers launched an official investigation on Monday, February 9.
“They had one JOB to do!!!! Just one job!!!! Make 3 medals!!!! That’s it!!!!! How is it possible to MESS this up?????” questioned one enraged user.
Despite being the most expensive medals in Olympic history, multiple athletes at the 2026 Winter Olympics have complained about their medals breaking
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The medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics were produced by the Italian State Mint using recycled metals from its own production waste and powered by renewable energy, making them the first Olympic medals made entirely from recycled metals.
Designed by a team led by Raffaella Paniè, the medals focus on “shared victory” and Italian avant-garde aesthetics.
Each medal is visually split into two offset halves, one polished and one frosted, symbolizing the dual host cities, as well as the union between an athlete’s effort and the support of coaches, family, and teammates.
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An estimated “podium value,” or intrinsic metal value, of the medals has reportedly been around $2,400 for gold, approximately $1,400 for silver, and around $5.60 for bronze.
Despite their hefty value, especially for gold and silver, many Olympians have reported their medals breaking off or detaching from their ribbons within hours of being awarded.
USA gold medalist Breezy Johnson, who won in women’s downhill alpine skiing, even showed her broken medal to reporters during a post-event media conference.
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She told reporters, “So there's the medal. And there's the ribbon. And here's the little piece that is supposed to go into the ribbon to hold the medal, and yeah, it came apart."
“It is heavy, it’s broken. It’s a look. I was jumping up and down in excitement, then it just fell off."
The unusual incidents sparked a wave of hilarious reactions online, as many joked that the medals were “ordered from TEMU”
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Breezy noted that the small piece meant to hold the ribbon to the medal simply came apart during her celebration.
Another USA gold medalist, Alysa Liu, who won as part of the country’s figure skating team event, posted social media footage of her team event gold medal completely detached from its official ribbon, in an incident similar to Johnson’s.
In the clip, the caption read, “My medal don’t need the ribbon,” as Liu held the gold disc in one hand and the blue ribbon in the other.
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Meanwhile, German biathlete Justus Strelow’s mixed relay bronze medal fell off its ribbon and clattered to the floor in a video captured by media outlets.
Justus was dancing with teammates at their hotel when the incident unfolded, with his fellow teammates quickly grabbing onto their medals around their necks to avoid a similar mishap.
A similar fate was reportedly experienced by Swedish cross-country skier Ebba Andersson, whose silver medal fell into the snow shortly after being awarded and broke into two pieces.
One viewer sarcastically wrote, “@breezyjohnsonski if you find someone who fixed your medal, please send them to @justus.strelow next.”
To this, someone replied, “Have you asked Ebba yet, she might have hers fixed by now.”
A third added, “Send them over to Alyssa Liu after that; they’ll also need their services.”
No matter the medal category, gold, silver, and bronze winners all reported issues, which reminded many viewers of the Paris 2024 Olympics medal controversy
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“When the medals are ordered from TEMU,” joked one netizen, while others echoed, “Sad that an Olympic medal doesn't reflect the quality of such an achievement in any way…”
“At least it’s just the ribbon and not the medal themselves corroding and chipping like the ones from Paris.”
During the 2024 Paris Olympics, over 200 athletes reportedly requested medal replacements, particularly bronze medals, after they began to tarnish within weeks of the Games.
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Athletes like U.S. skateboarder Nyjah Huston shared videos of medals that appeared chipped, rusted, and “looking like they'd been to war.”
He said in the clip, addressing his followers, “Alright, so these Olympic medals look great when they’re brand new, but after letting it sit on my skin with some sweat for a little bit and letting my friends wear it over the weekend.. They’re apparently not as high quality as you’d think…”
“It’s looking rough… I don’t know, Olympic medals, we gotta step up the quality a little bit.”
Milano Cortina organizers have launched an investigation, emphasizing the urgency of resolving the issue for impacted athletes
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Addressing the 2026 Winter Olympics medal-breaking chaos, organizers confirmed they are now investigating the issue.
Milano Cortina Chief Games Operations Officer Andrea Francisi said in a public statement, “We are fully aware of the situation. We are looking into exactly what the problem is.”
"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."
At the time of writing, the investigation remains in its initial stages, with no final resolution announced yet.
However, due to growing public and media pressure, it appears organizers may replace all broken or damaged medals, similar to the Paris 2024 Olympics, where defective medals were replaced.
Reportedly, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has stated that it is waiting for a formal resolution from Italian organizers before initiating any large-scale medal replacement requests for its athletes.
“The Olympics get cheaper and cheaper every year, it seems,” one furious social media user reacted
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