Multiple Olympians at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics recently came forward, claiming their medals broke within hours, if not minutes, of being awarded their gold, silver, or bronze.
Given that the Milano Cortina medals are reportedly the most expensive in Olympic history due to record-high metal prices, the poor quality immediately sparked outrage and raised serious questions about quality control.
- Multiple Olympians claimed their Milano Cortina 2026 medals broke within minutes of receiving them, sparking outrage and a wave of “Temu medal” jokes online.
- The scandal grew even bigger because the medals are reportedly the most expensive in Olympic history, despite being made from recycled metals.
- Organizers have launched an official investigation after athletes shared viral videos of medals detaching, falling, and even breaking into pieces.
As frustrated athletes shared photos and complaints online, organizers launched an official investigation on Monday, February 9.
“They had one JOB to do!!!! Just one job!!!! Make 3 medals!!!! That’s it!!!!! How is it possible to MESS this up ?????” questioned one enraged user.
Despite being the most expensive medals in Olympic history, multiple athletes at the 2026 Winter Olympics have complained about their medals breaking
Olympian holding Milano Cortina 2026 medal, smiling, related to investigation after medals broke ordered from TEMU.
The medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics were produced by the Italian State Mint using recycled metals from its own production waste and powered by renewable energy, making them the first Olympic medals made entirely from recycled metals.
Designed by a team led by Raffaella Paniè, the medals focus on “shared victory” and Italian avant-garde aesthetics.
Each medal is visually split into two offset halves, one polished and one frosted, symbolizing the dual host cities, as well as the union between an athlete’s effort and the support of coaches, family, and teammates.
Olympian Breezy Johnson at a press conference showing a broken medal linked to the TEMU investigation.
An estimated “podium value,” or intrinsic metal value, of the medals has reportedly been around $2,400 for gold, approximately $1,400 for silver, and around $5.60 for bronze.
Despite their hefty value, especially for gold and silver, many Olympians have reported their medals breaking off or detaching from their ribbons within hours of being awarded.
USA gold medalist Breezy Johnson, who won in women’s downhill alpine skiing, even showed her broken medal to reporters during a post-event media conference.
Close-up of a broken Olympic gold medal with the ribbon detached, highlighting issues with medals ordered from TEMU.
Tweet discussing Olympic medals breaking and questioning if athletes are buying medals from Temu.
She told reporters, “So there’s the medal. And there’s the ribbon. And here’s the little piece that is supposed to go into the ribbon to hold the medal, and yeah, it came apart.”
“It is heavy, it’s broken. It’s a look. I was jumping up and down in excitement, then it just fell off.”
The unusual incidents sparked a wave of hilarious reactions online, as many joked that the medals were “ordered from TEMU”
Olympian skiing downhill in full gear on snowy slope amid investigation into broken medals ordered from TEMU.
Breezy noted that the small piece meant to hold the ribbon to the medal simply came apart during her celebration.
Another USA gold medalist, Alysa Liu, who won as part of the country’s figure skating team event, posted social media footage of her team event gold medal completely detached from its official ribbon, in an incident similar to Johnson’s.
In the clip, the caption read, “My medal don’t need the ribbon,” as Liu held the gold disc in one hand and the blue ribbon in the other.
Olympian skier lying on snow after a fall during competition, related to medals breaking investigation ordered from TEMU.
Olympian showing broken medal from TEMU with ribbon falling off, highlighting medal quality issues at recent games.
Meanwhile, German biathlete Justus Strelow’s mixed relay bronze medal fell off its ribbon and clattered to the floor in a video captured by media outlets.
Justus was dancing with teammates at their hotel when the incident unfolded , with his fellow teammates quickly grabbing onto their medals around their necks to avoid a similar mishap.
A similar fate was reportedly experienced by Swedish cross-country skier Ebba Andersson, whose silver medal fell into the snow shortly after being awarded and broke into two pieces.
▶️ The Olympic Organizing Committee is investigating issues with damaged medals 🏅⚠️, said the committee’s Chief Operating Officer, Andrea Franchisi. Earlier, several athletes complained on social media about the medal quality — the ribbons were coming off 🎗️❌. 📹 Video:… pic.twitter.com/ZoXCY9ZNbv — dvmc (@deviumcoin) February 9, 2026
Unlock an Enhanced Experience with Bored Panda Premium
Go ad-free, access unlimited content, and enjoy our sleek dark mode. Your favorite stories, uninterrupted.
No fees, cancel anytime
Olympian Makes Stunning Admission After Judge’s Conspicuous Scores Ignite Cheating Accusations
