Milan Cortina Olympics Medals Under Scrutiny for Durability Issues
Organizers for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are investigating reports of medals experiencing durability issues, with multiple athletes reporting their awards breaking or detaching from ribbons shortly after being presented. Andrea Francisi, chief operations officer for the organizing committee, has acknowledged the situation and stated the committee is working to understand the problem.
Andrea Francisi, chief operations officer, confirmed awareness of the issues, emphasizing the committee's commitment to ensuring the medal moment's perfection and resolving the situation.
Athlete Incidents Mount
Within the first three days of competition, at least four athletes have reported issues with their medals:
- Breezy Johnson (U.S. Women's Downhill Gold Medallist): Her medal reportedly detached from its ribbon during a celebration. Johnson advised other athletes against vigorous movement while wearing their medals.
- Justus Strelow (German Biathlete, Mixed Relay Bronze Medallist): His medal fell from its ribbon and hit the floor during celebrations with teammates. The German biathlon team subsequently questioned the medals' durability on social media.
- Alysa Liu (U.S. Figure Skater, Team Event Gold Medallist): Liu shared a social media post depicting her team event gold medal detached from its official ribbon.
- Ebba Andersson (Swedish Women's 10km + 10km Skiathlon Silver Medallist): Her medal reportedly separated into two pieces while she was running with a teammate post-ceremony. Andersson noted that a small pin securing the medal in its pendant had fallen off and questioned if the medal was designed for such activity.
Organizers Acknowledge and Investigate
Andrea Francisi, chief games operations officer for the Milan Cortina organizing committee, confirmed awareness of the issues. Francisi stated that the committee is actively trying to understand the problem in detail. He emphasized the significance of the medal moment for athletes and the committee's commitment to ensuring its perfection and resolving the situation.
Past Precedent: Olympic Medal Quality Challenges
This is not the first occasion that the quality of Olympic medals has been subject to scrutiny. Following the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, some medals reportedly required replacement due to tarnishing or corrosion.