Swedish cross-country skier Ebba Anderson didn't take long to rejoice at her medal at the 2026 Olympic Games // Photo: gettyimages.com
Ebba Anderson, a Swedish skier and silver medalist in the women’s skiathlon, was the first to report the problem. According to her, after the awarding ceremony, the medal fell off the ribbon around her neck and got lost in the snow. The medal split into three pieces as it fell. Attempts to repair the award with improvised means were unsuccessful and the plans had to be abandoned.
Other athletes’ medals survived the fall, but the very fact that the organizers failed to ensure their safety causes the Olympic medalists to be puzzled.
Biathlete Justus Strehlov, who won a bronze medal in the mixed relay as part of the German team, reacted to the situation on social media. “Hey, Olympics, what’s up with the medals?” – he commented on a clip of his medal spontaneously falling to the floor.
Alyssa Lew, the Olympic champion in the figure skating team event, also reported that her award, weighing about 0.5 kilograms, was left unattached. “My medal doesn’t need a ribbon,” the athlete ironically signed her video on social media.
American alpine skier and Olympic champion Breezy Johnson complained about a similar problem. “At the awards ceremony I was jumping up and down with excitement and my medal fell off. It’s damaged. I don’t know if the Italians are famous for engineering. I hope they will restore it to me,” the athlete said at a press conference.
Organizers promise to replace the awards
The organizing committee of the Games said that they have studied all the complaints of the medalists and intend to replace the medals with new ones. “Some medals turned out to be defective, the organizing committee immediately dealt with this problem together with the Italian Mint. The solution was found: athletes who had problems with the medals can return them to the organizing committee. They will be repaired or replaced,” said Luca Casassa, Operations Director of the 2026 Olympic Organizing Committee.
The medals awarded to medalists at the Games are made of recycled materials – metals derived from waste from Italy’s mint and printing industry. The awards were minted there. The organizers of the 2024 Summer Olympics in France followed a similar practice. Then athletes sent medals to the organizing committee for replacement six months after they were awarded.
