Give a medal — hopefully, one that doesn’t break — to the engineers in Milan.
Amid backlash from a rash of medals breaking during these 2026 Winter Olympics, an official claimed a fix has been made and those with busted hardware can swap their medals for new ones.
“Following reports of issues affecting a small number of medals, the organizing committee immediately reviewed the matter, working closely with the State Mint, which produced the medals,” spokesperson Lucas Casassa said, according to The Guardian. “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.”
While there is always focus on who is winning medals, it’s not good publicity when there is focus on whether said medals will remain around participants’ necks.
A source told Reuters that the issue may be connected to the clasp and the ribbon on the medals.
The outlet said the medals have a breakaway mechanism that is legally required to prevent potential strangulation or other injuries, while The Guardian further explained that the medal is set up for the mechanism to disengage if yanked with force since that protects against choking.
The Olympic committee surely would love for this supposed fix to lessen — if not outright squash — the noticeable number of athletes who have highlighted the subpar medals.
U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu posted an Instagram video of her gold medal and the ribbon being separated, while gold medalist downhill skier Breezy Johnson showed her separated medal during a press conference.
2026 WINTER OLYMPICS
The German biathlon team even joined the piling on in an Instagram post, asking what’s up with the medals.
“Don’t jump in them. I was jumping in excitement, and it broke,” Johnson said Sunday. “I’m sure somebody will fix it. It’s not crazy broken, but a little broken.”
Jake Paul’s fiancée, Jutta Leerdam, posted a TikTok video celebrating her gold medal only to be crushed mid-video when it broke.
“I broke it,” she said. “I broke it.”
Said Paul: “Yeah, it keeps breaking. I’ll fix it again.”
USA skier Jacqueline Wiles reportedly was the latest medalist Tuesday to encounter medal issues after celebrating a third-place finish.
“Some arms were swinging and I was jumping,” Wiles said, per Reuters. “And it got out of hand a little quickly. But that’s OK. They fixed it already.”
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