What should have been a moment of glory was tinged with disbelief and annoyance. During the award ceremonies at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, dozens of athletes received cracked, chipped, or obviously flawed medals. The most visible case was that of skier Breezy Johnson, who recounted how her medal detached from its chain in the middle of the ceremony celebration, and she hasn't been the only one to suffer this, and even when expressing herself, she did so calmly, but a certain annoyance and disbelief was perceived, inviting other athletes not to celebrate using the medal to avoid ending up with the same fate.

The reaction was immediate: calls for review, replacement of damaged pieces, and an internal investigation announced by the Organizing Committee. It was reported that several delegations, including the American one, counted multiple similar incidents. The production and transport logistics are now at the center of the scandal: if the failure was in manufacturing, we're talking about a quality control problem; if it was in handling, the chain of custody of official objects is called into question.

Some athletes, incredulous at the situation, didn't hide their annoyance on social media and public statements. For many, the medal is not just metal: it's the culmination of years of sacrifice. For it to arrive damaged on the winner's neck is, in practical terms, a lack of respect, and demonstrates the deterioration that has been emerging in recent years. The IOC and the Organizing Committee promised cooperation and "quick" replacements, while award workshops were subjected to a protocol review, confirmed by official statements.

Beyond the symbolic gesture, there are real consequences: formal claims, replacement logistics, and reputational cost for organizers and suppliers. It also raises contractual questions with the manufacturer: warranties, and possible reviews in future public tenders. Athletes who have already left the Olympic bubble will have to coordinate international shipments to receive the replacement piece, a detail that turns victory into a cumbersome process.

Although the anecdote of broken medals doesn't tarnish sporting performances, it does put on the table the need to professionalize even the last link in the Olympic spectacle. If the ceremony symbolizes excellence, the medal must be the tangible reflection of that promise; when it fails, disappointment is not measured in grams, but in broken trust.

Currently there has been an exponential increase in the price of metals, which means that medals are worth approximately more than double what they were at the Paris Olympics. This being one of the main causes that current medals are of "lower quality" than their predecessors. According to commodity market analysts and data from the Organizing Committee, the Milano-Cortina 2026 gold medal would have an approximate material value of $2,300. While a gold medal from the Paris 2024 Olympics was around $900. This gives us a perspective of how much the price of metals has risen in such a short time, these being historically the most expensive medals in the Olympic Games.