Wait, the Winter Olympics medals are literally falling apart hours after athletes win them

Winter Olympics officials are investigating after multiple athletes competing in Italy discovered their medals had broken within hours of receiving them.

Several medal-winning athletes have spoken out after pieces of their shiny new hardware started snapping off almost immediately. Ski gold medallist Breezy Johnson even had to warn fellow winners: “Don’t jump in them”.

#BREAKING

😁OLYMPIC “GOLD” MEDALS LITERALLY FALLING APART ON PODIUM — RIGHT AFTER THEY’RE HANDED OUT🏅

Multiple athletes caught on camera:

Medal detaches from ribbon mid-celebration
Ribbon stays in hand, disc drops or hangs loose
U.S. skier Breezy Johnson: “Don’t jump in… pic.twitter.com/M5G4YM0UKj

— Jack Straw (@JackStr42679640) February 10, 2026

“I was jumping in excitement, and it broke,” she said after her win. “I’m sure somebody will fix it. It’s not crazy broken, but a little broken.”

US figure skater Alysa Liu also posted a clip showing her gold medal detached from its ribbon. The team event champion shared the moment on social media, with Johnson commenting in solidarity: “I feel you….”

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A post shared by 刘美贤 Alysa Liu (@alysaxliu)

German biathlete Justus Strelow revealed he had a similar issue after his bronze medal suddenly fell off the ribbon around his neck, which is not exactly the Olympic dream moment organisers had in mind.

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A post shared by DSV Biathlon (@dsv_biathlon)

Officials insist the medals themselves aren’t actually cracking apart. The Milan Cortina design features a decorative line through the middle that looks like a fracture, but the real issue appears to be the small metal connector attaching the ribbon to the medal, which can break off with movement or pressure. That means the medal itself stays intact, but winners often end up carrying it awkwardly in their hands instead of wearing it.

Andrea Francisi, chief games operations officer for Milan Cortina, confirmed organisers are aware of the complaints and have reviewed images shared by athletes online.

what are the olympic medals made of??? why the fuck are they breaking so easily

— tony | 🇵🇱 (@meeprussell) February 9, 2026

“We are trying to understand in detail if there is a problem,” he said in a statement. “We are paying maximum attention to this matter, as the medal is the dream of the athletes, so we want that in the moment they are given it that everything is absolutely perfect. We really consider it to be the most important moment.”

Francisi added that the team is “working on it”.

It’s also not the first time Olympic medals have come under scrutiny. During the 2024 Paris Games, several athletes reported signs of corrosion on their medals, which later had to be replaced.

It’s amazing how bad the LVMH-designed Olympic Paris medals are. First, there was tarnishing; now, the ribbons are tearing and can’t be replaced.

IG hunterwoodhall pic.twitter.com/Tjrt9uA5wW

— derek guy (@dieworkwear) February 23, 2025

For anyone wondering what these prizes are actually made of: Bronze medals are entirely copper, silver medals are pure silver, and gold medals are mostly silver coated with around six grams of pure gold.

While the medals themselves are technically still intact, the fact that their ribbons are falling apart mid-celebration isn’t exactly the podium moment anyone imagined.

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