MILAN, Feb 9 (Reuters) – Whether gold, silver or bronze, there is one thing Milano Cortina’s Winter Olympics medals have in common: they can break.
Games organizers said Monday they have launched an investigation into a spate of accidents that have left Olympic medalists, including U.S. downhill ski champion Breezy Johnson, with a cracked and chipped medal.
“We are fully aware of the situation and you have seen the photos,” Milano Cortina Chief Games Operations Officer Andrea Francisi told a press conference on Monday. “We are investigating what exactly the problem is.”
“We will pay maximum attention to the medals… so that everything will be perfect, because this is one of the most important things for the athletes.”
Johnson is one of many decorated athletes in Italy who have seen their medals snap, crack and pop just minutes after the award ceremonies during the first few days of the Games.
“It’s heavy, it’s broken. It’s a look,” Johnson told reporters shortly after the podium ceremony, showing off her cracked and chipped medal in one hand as the parted ribbon hung around her neck. “I was jumping up and down with excitement, but then it just fell off.”
She’s not alone: German biathlete Justus Strelow saw his bronze medal cracked on the ground during celebrations at their team’s headquarters.
Swedish cross-country skier Ebba Andersson’s silver prize in the women’s skiathlon suffered a similar fate.
“The medal fell in the snow and broke in two,” Andersson told Swedish broadcaster SVT. “Now I hope the organizers have a ‘Plan B’ for broken medals.” (Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Ken Ferris)
