Investigation launched into broken Winter Olympics medals

The Milano Cortina Winter Olympics has seen several medals break, with American skier Breezy Johnson, Swedish cross-country skier Ebba Andersson, and German biathlete Justus Strelow reporting damaged medals.

Johnson's medal snapped in half after she placed it on a podium. She told journalists: "I was jumping up and down with excitement, then it just fell apart" . Andersson said her medal broke in two after it fell on the snow.

Milano Cortina's head of operations, Andrea Francisi, announced an investigation into the matter. He said: "We're fully aware of the situation. We pay maximum attention to the medals. This is one of the most important things for athletes" .

Organizers suspect the problem may lie with the medal's ribbon, which is equipped with a safety mechanism that is designed to break if pulled with force, to prevent the wearer from being strangled.

Similar issues were reported with the 2024 Paris Olympics medals, with over 200 medal replacement requests recorded.