The first medals from the Winter Olympic Games 2026 in Milano Cortina have been handed out... and many seem to be in not great condition, as several athletes have shown that their medals broke on the piece that sticks the metal with the ribbon.
Thankfully, the problem seems to be on the ribbon, and not in the metal, so it's not as bad as the rusty medals that were handed in Paris 2024, but it can still lead to awkward moments and some scares, such as this biathlon athlete from the German team whose medal fell off while he was jumping in celebration.
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Another gold medal recipient, figure skater Alysa Liu from Team USA, showed her medal joking that "my medal don't need the ribbon".
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Andrea Francisi, Milan-Cortina 2026 chief games operations officer, said they are fully aware of the situation and "we are looking into exactly what the problem is."
"We are going to pay maximum attention to the medals, and obviously this is something we want to be perfect when the medal is handed over because this is one of the most important moments for the athletes."