Olympic winners forced to return their medals, here's what happened

Several Olympians, including Alysa Liu, Breezy Johnson, Ellie Kam and many other reportedly returned their medals to the Olympic organisers after the conclusion of Milano Cortina 2026 for repairing or replacement due to defects or breakage.

Milano Cortina Winter Olympics

The Olympics are the most prestigious sports event in the world; athletes prepare for years and sacrifice their lives to just represent their country, let alone win anything. At the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, athletes around the world stunned audiences with their skills and determination.

🚨 OLYMPIC “GOLD” MEDALS ARE FALLING APART ON CAMERA - WHAT ARE ATHLETES ACTUALLY BEING GIVEN?

Multiple athletes show their medals separating from the ribbon moments after winning.
Some don’t even need the ribbon anymore.

These are the most expensive medals in Olympic history.… pic.twitter.com/pjgyTQiwni

— HustleBitch (@HustleBitch_) February 10, 2026

This time Norway topped the medal list with 41 medals, including 18 golds, 12 silver and 11 bronze, which is the highest in a single winter Olympics. For some athletes, it was the last chance to prove themselves and somebody's debut.

For a competition so important, negligence is unacceptable by the player and their coaches, but this time the organisers, this time, the fault lies with the organisers. Many winners reported chipped and broken medals, medals separated from the ribbon. This particularly happened with gold medals.

Alysia Liu, the American figure skater, said her medal detached shortly after the celebration, and she handed it back to the Olympic officials. Breezy Johnson, alpine ski racer's medal come apart. It happened with many other athletes as well.

The organisers have identified the issue and said it stemmed from the breakaway mechanism on the medal ribbon, and asked the recipients to return the medal for repairment or replacement.