Initial reports from the 2026 Winter Olympics indicate that several athletes experienced issues with their medals becoming detached from their ribbons during celebrations. Breezy Johnson, who won a gold medal in women's downhill skiing, tweeted caution, saying, “Don’t jump in them. I was jumping in excitement, and it broke." Despite the mishap, she noted that her medal was only "a little broken" and expected it would be repaired.

Notably, Justus Strelow, a biathlete from Germany, suffered a similar fate when his mixed relay bronze medal fell during a celebratory dance with teammates. Footage captured the moment as his medal clattered to the floor. Strelow struggled to reattach it, ultimately discovering that a small piece of the clasp had broken off.

U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu shared her experience on social media, posting a clip of her detached team event gold medal with the comment, “My medal don’t need the ribbon.”

Andrea Francisi, the chief games operations officer for the organizing committee, acknowledged the issue, emphasizing that they are working diligently to address it. “We have seen the images... This is the most important moment for athletes, and we want everything to be perfect.”

This is not the first instance of Olympic medals facing scrutiny over quality. Following the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, several medals were replaced due to complaints of tarnishing and corrosion.

The Milan Cortina organization is taking the situation seriously and is assessing the medals to ensure they meet the expected standards for future events.