Winter Olympics athletes to have broken medals fixed

Milan-Cortina 2026 organisers have “identified” a reason for the spate of broken medals at the Winter Olympics and said any athletes affected will have theirs fixed.

Two of the USA’s gold medallists, Breezy Johnson and Alysa Liu, revealed the ribbons had come away from their medals soon after they received them.

Johnson, who won gold in the women’s downhill alpine skiing, showed her broken medal at the post-event news conference.

“So there’s the medal. And there’s the ribbon,” she said. “And here’s the little piece that is supposed to go into the ribbon to hold the medal, and yeah, it came apart.”

The video shows Liu holding up her medal and the ribbon in separate hands, with the text: “My medal don’t need the ribbon.”

The issue also affected the German team who won bronze in the biathlon. An Instagram video shows one of the athletes’ medals falling from the ribbon as they jumped up and down in celebration at the team hotel.

“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 spokesperson said.

“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.

“Milan-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.”

BBC Sport has asked organisers what the exact issue with the medals was, and what the precise nature of the fix is.

This is not the first time the quality of medals awarded at Olympic Games has been called into question.

As of February 2025, a total of 220 requests have been made to replace medals won at the 2024 Summer Games because of wear and tear.

Diver Yasmin Harper, who won Team GB’s first medal in Paris, was among the athletes to notice her medal was showing signs of “tarnishing”.