Officials find fix for broken medals and make promise after athlete 'immediately' breaks gold award

Officials at the Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina have promised a fix for the issue which has seen a number of athletes complain about broken medals.

One athlete managed to break his 'gold medal' in a figurative sense, after admitting to cheating on the 'love of his life' during a bizarre interview, after taking a bronze medal for his native Norway in the biathlon.

However, plenty of other athletes saw their medals break in a more literal sense, with women’s downhill champion Breezy Johnson left a little underwhelmed when her new prize was almost immediately ripped from its ribbon, akin to the sort of medals you get on Sports Day at school.

“So there’s the medal and there’s the ribbon, and here’s the little piece that is supposed to go in the ribbon, to hold it in the medal,” Johnson showed reporters following the win. “And yeah, it came apart. I'm sure somebody will fix it. It's not crazy broken, but it’s a little broken.”

Now, officials have suggested that it was only a 'small number' of medals that were affected, but they have now worked closely with the company which produced the medals to ensure a quick fix.

Breezy's medal was almost immediately ripped from its ribbon (Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Speaking at the daily Milano Cortina briefing, spokesman Luca Casassa said: “Following reports of issues affecting a small number of medals, the organising committee immediately reviewed the matter, working closely with the State Mint, which produced the medals.

“A solution has been identified, and a targeted fix has been put in place. Athletes whose medals have been affected are encouraged to return them through the appropriate channels so that they can be promptly repaired and returned.

“Milano Cortina 2026 remains fully committed to ensuring that medals, which represent the pinnacle of every athlete’s journey, meet the highest standards of quality and care.”

Several athletes raised issues with the medals (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Sweden's cross‑country skier Ebba Andersson said that her medal 'fell in the snow and broke in two', while US figure skater Alysa Liu reported a similar issue to her compatriot Breezy Johnson.

Casassa added: "It is important to stress that, as a precaution, we are rechecking all the medals to make sure that the athletes’ joy can really be 360 degrees when they conquer something which is so precious and so important for them, but also for us, the supporters."

Despite reportedly being the most expensive medals in history, with gold medals thought to be worth around $2,300 (£1,692), this is the second straight Olympics where the organisers have run into some issues.

In Paris 2024, more than 100 medals were returned after claims that they were 'tarnished' just a few days after they were won, which isn't something you'd want to hang on your mantelpiece for the rest of your life.