Watch: See Every Moment from the 2026 Winter Olympics Opening CeremonyThere's certainly a crack in the Olympic medals' foundation. Shortly after Team USA's Breezy Johnson and Alysa Liu revealed their gold medals unexpectedly broke during the 2026 Winter Olympics, the organization confirmed they're fully aware of the growing defects. "Following reports of issues affecting a small number of medals, the organising committee immediately reviewed the matter, working closely with the State Mint, which produced the medals," Olympic committee spokesperson Luca Casassa said at the Milano Cortina Games briefing on Feb. 11. "A solution has been identified, and a targeted fix has been put in place." He continued, "Athletes whose medals have been affected are encouraged to return them through the appropriate channels so that they can be promptly repaired and returned. Milano Cortina 2026 remains fully committed to ensuring that medals, which represent the pinnacle of every athlete's journey, meet the highest standards of quality and care." While officials haven't publicly addressed the cause behind the defects, theories have suggested it could be an issue with the medal's clasp that connects it to the ribbon. According to The Guardian, the clasp is created with a breakaway mechanism-a fitting required by law-to avoid the risk of injuring the winners when they wear them.photos2026 Olympics: Team USA Athletes Competing in the Winter GamesE! News has reached out to the Olympic officials about the defected medals, but have not yet heard back. As for the organization's repair process, Liu has already seen progress with her medal. One day after the figure skater-who picked up her gold in the Team event-posted an Instagram video of it detached from the ribbon on Feb. 8, she confirmed she had to return her medal for a new one. "I had to give it in. I was like, 'Can you just fix this one? I'm attached,'" the figure skater recalled to Overtime on Feb. 9, proudly wearing her new trophy. She then joked about the situation, "But it's OK. I'm detached, just like [the medal] was." Liu noted that after she won the gold medal at the ceremony, she started "jumping up and down" in joy when "it just dropped" to the floor. "It just literally fell off of the ribbon," she explained. "It got very scratched up...pretty dented."Andy Cheung/Getty ImagesJohnson-who won the medal for her impressive run in the women's downhill on Feb. 8-also endured the same fate, her trophy falling off as she celebrated with her team. "I was jumping in excitement and it broke," the alpine skier told reporters in a post-ceremony interview at the time. "So there's the medal, there's the ribbon, and here's the little piece that is supposed to go into the ribbon to hold the medal. Yeah, it came apart." While Johnson hasn't revealed if she received a replacement just yet, she was lightheartedly optimistic about the medal's condition. "I'm sure someone will fix it," she joked. "It's not crazy broken, but it's a little broken." Keep reading to see more viral moments from the 2026 Winter Olympics...
Daniel Kopatsch/VOIGT/Getty ImagesYou're on Candid CameraA cameraman films U.S. skiers Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin hugging after the second run of the women's team combined salom event.
Odd ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty ImagesA Small GiftFrench biathlete Lou Jeanmonnot has some fun with plushies of Milan-Cortina Olympics mascots Milo and Tina, which she received as part of winning the silver medal in the women's biathlon 15km individual event.
Sean M. Haffey/Getty ImagesThinking of HomeSkier Dmytro Shepiuk uses a sticky note to send love to his fellow Ukranians after finishing the men's super-G event.WANG Zhao/AFP via Getty ImagesScream and ShoutJapan's Kaori Sakamoto is surprised by her score in the women's singles free skating team event.JASPER JACOBS/BELGA MAG/Belga/AFP via Getty ImagesAll the EmotionsDutch speedskater Jutta Leerdam wipes tears from her eyes after learning she set an Olympic record in the women's 1,000-meter race.
Ian MacNicol/Getty ImagesBig AirChina's Eileen Gu competes in the women's freestyle slopestyle-which earned her a silver medal.
Matthew Stockman/Getty ImagesWith Him AlwaysU.S. skater Maxim Naumov holds a photo of his late parents close after competing in the men's single skating short program.
Hector Vivas/Getty ImagesTwists and TurnsA composite image shows off the many tricks seen in the women's freestyle slopestyle. Matthew Stockman/Getty ImagesPierogi PowerPolish figure skater Ekaterina Kurakova holds up a plushie of a pierogi-widely considered to be Poland's national food-as she celebrates with her teammates during the women's single skating short program.
Tom Weller/Getty ImagesIt's a Bird, It's a PlaneNo, it's Team Austria's ski jumper Julia Muehlbacher.
Robert Michael/picture alliance via Getty ImagesDouble TroubleSelina Egle and Lara Michaela Kipp of Austria zoom by during the luge women's doubles.
Andreas Rentz/Getty ImagesSay Cheese!The winners of t