The Winter Olympics is currently taking place in Milan and Cortina. It's been filled with the usual ups and downs that usually accompanies the Games. However, it looks to me that it's the controversies that are grabbing the headlines. This includes broken medals; publicly cheating and being banned from participating due to war efforts.
Picture this: You just won an Olympic gold medal. Youāre on top of the world. You do what literally any human being would do ā jump up and down in pure, unbridled joy. Then, your medal justā¦ falls apart.
Now picture that happening to not one, not two but multiple athletes on the exact same day.
Team USA figure skater, Alysa Liu, won gold in the team event on 8 February and her celebration took an unexpected turn almost immediately. The 20-year-old revealed her medal broke pretty soon after receiving it ā all because she dared to express happiness.
"I was just jumping up and down, as one does to celebrate, and it just dropped," she told Overtime in an interview posted on 9 February. "It just literally fell off of the ribbon. It got very scratched upā¦ pretty dented."
Already, peak content. Liuās reaction to the whole ordeal is what truly sent this into viral territory. It's because apparently, once your medal breaks, you donāt just get to pocket the loose piece and move on with your life. Oh no.
"I actually liked it when it was off the ribbon, but thatās not allowed," Liu said. "I had to give it in. I was like, 'Canāt you just fix this one?' Iām attached. But itās OK, Iām detached. Just like it was."
Hereās where the pattern gets genuinely funny. On that very same day, American skier, Breezy Johnson, won gold in the womenās downhill event.
Just like Liu, she learned the hard way that Olympic medals and celebratory jumping apparently do not mix.
"Do not jump in them. I was jumping in excitement and it broke," Breezy told reporters in a post-ceremony interview as she displayed her broken medal on camera. āSo thereās the medal, thereās the ribbon, and hereās the little piece that is supposed to go into the ribbon to hold the medal. Yeah, it came apart.ā
Despite the break, Johnson stayed remarkably chill about the whole thing. "Iām sure someone will fix it. Itās not crazy broken, but itās a little broken."
Johnson didnāt just shrug it off ā she immediately went into warning mode. Just minutes after her own medal mishap, she warned second-place finisher, Emma Aicher, not to jump while wearing her medal at a joint press conference. Johnson then showed her broken medal to reporters, breaking down the anatomy of the malfunction once more.
"So thereās the medal. And thereās the ribbon," she said. "And hereās the little piece that is supposed to go into the ribbon to hold the medal, and yeah, it came apart."
At this point, the broken medal show-and-tell was becoming its own event.
The German biathlon team took it to another level entirely. That same day, the team posted a video to Instagram showing Justus Strelow stopping in the middle of celebrating his bronze with his team after his medal fell to the ground. The caption? Chefās kiss. "Are they not meant to be celebrated?"
The German biathlon team understood the assignment ā if your medals are going to break on the worldās biggest stage, you might as well turn it into content.
The medals themselves arenāt breaking. Their design includes a line in the middle that looks like a crack, but itās purely decorative. The problem comes from the small piece that attaches the ribbon to the medal, which can break off.
While the medal remains intact, recipients are often forced to carry it in their palm.
Milan-Cortina 2026 chief Games operations officer, Andrea Francisci, said that they are aware of the complaints. "We are fully aware of the situation. We are looking into exactly what the problem is. We are going to pay maximum attention to the medals, and obviously this is something we want to be perfect when the medal is handed over because this is one of the most important moments for the athletes."
On 10 February, organisers of the Milan Cortina Olympics said that the national mint of Italy would offer to repair defective medal fixings for athletes, according to The Athletic.
"A limited number of medals have had a few problems," Olympic organising committee spokesperson, Luca Casassa, said in comments translated from Italian, per The Athletic. "The organising committee has been working closely with the Italian mint, who are responsible for the medals. A solution has been identified and athletes who have medals are invited to give them back so they can be repaired."
"Weāre going to pay particular attention to the medals and obviously this is something that [we want] everything [to] be perfect when the medal is handed over, because this is probably one of the most important moments for the athletes," Francisi said. "So weāre working on it."
fficials released a vague statement on an unspecified defect Tuesday. They have assured athletes that the problem will no longer persist as the event continues.
The mishaps prompted action from officials. An investigation was launched and a solution was determined. While the organisers still have not stated the actual problem, they ensure that no more Olympic medals will be breaking.
"A solution was identified and a targeted intervention was implementedā¦Milano Cortina 2026 confirms its commitment to ensuring that the medals, which symbolize the highest achievement in every athleteās career, meet the highest standards of quality and attention to detail" -Milano Cortina 2026 Communications Director Luca Casassa.
Medals that have been affected by the defect are being repaired. A sigh of relief can be taken as celebrations get set to continue at the 2026 Winter Games.
This is absolutely new to me. I never believed that medals could break. It was the right decision that they are replacing them. Winning an Olympic medal isn't an easy thing to achieve. To add to that, there's a possibility that you might not get picked for the next Olympic Games.
In short, participating in the Olympics can be a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Norway's Sturla Holm Laegreid followed up his bronze medal in the biathlon at the Winter Olympics with a stunning confession that he had cheated on his girlfriend; before openly begging her for another chance.
"I realised that this is the woman in my life and I can't live my whole life keeping it a secret from her. My only way to solve it is to tell everything and put everything on the table and hope that she can still love me," Laegreid told Norwegian newspaper VG. "I've done that for her, and now for the whole world. I have nothing to lose."
The biathlete made his revelation to the Norwegian state broadcaster after taking the bronze in a race won by his compatriot, Johan-Olav Botn, with Eric Perrot of France coming in second. "There's someone I wanted to share it with who might not be watching today. Six months ago, I met the love of my life - the most beautiful and kindest person in the world," he said.
"Three months ago I made my biggest mistake and cheated on her," he added tearfully. "I told her about it a week ago. It's been the worst week of my life."
Without naming the woman, 28-year-old Laegreid compared her to the Games' most prestigious prize. "I had a ā gold medal in my life, and there are probably many who look at me with different eyes, but I only have eyes for her," he said. "Sport has taken a slightly different ā place (in my life) the last few days. Yes, I wish I could share it with her."
Later, Laegreid explained that he had been feeling very emotional after the race, which came in the wake ā of the death of team-mate, ā Sivert Guttorm Bakken, in December. "Of course, now I hope I didn't ruin Johan's day," he said of the gold medal winner.
"Maybe it was really selfish of me to give that interview. So yeah, I don't know. I was, I'm a bit, I don't know ... I'm not really here mentally. So ā yeah, we will see what happens," he told reporters about an hour after the interview.
Speaking to VG later on - after his confession became one of the day's big talking points at the Olympics - Laegreid doubled down, begging his girlfriend again for a second chance. "I told her a week ago, and then it ended, of course. I'm not ready to give up...I'm taking the consequences for what I've done, I regret it with all my heart," he said.
"I want to be a good role model but I have to admit when I make mistakes. You have to admit when you do something you can't stand behind and ā when you hurt someone you love so much."
The ex-girlfriend of Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid has said his actions are "hard to forgive" after he admitted to cheating on her in a live television interview after winning a bronze medal.
Laegreid finished in third place in the biathlon, which combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting and then broke down in tears at the Winter Olympics on Tuesday, telling Norwegian state broadcaster, NRK, how he lost the "love of my life" due to his cheating after meeting her six months ago.
"Three months ago, I made my biggest mistake and cheated on her. I told her about it a week ago. It's ābeen the worst week of my life," the 28-year-old medallist said, adding how he wishes to share his sporting triumph with her."
Now his ex-girlfriend, who wants to remain anonymous, told Norwegian outlet, VG, that she "did not choose to be put in this position and it hurts to have to be in it". She added that Laegreid's infidelity was "hard to forgive, even after a declaration of love in front of the whole world."
The woman said she had been in contact with Laegreid and that he knew her stance on this.
After his tearful confession on live television, Laegreid said that he might not have been in the right state of mind to give the interview after the race, which came in the wake of the death of his team-mate, Sivert āGuttorm Bakken, in December last year.
"Maybe it was really selfish of me to give that interview," he said a few hours later.
The public confession was totally unnecessary. There's no room for personal issues to enter into the fray when you're participating in a competition/s. If you're seeking attention and trying to hog the spotlight, this isn't the way to go. One shouldn't air their personal grievances in public. It should remain private.
I don't buy his excuse. if the ex was indeed his love of his life, then he should've had her in his mind. This is especially the case if he knew her stance on the matter.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday disqualified a Ukrainian skeleton athlete who insisted on competing while wearing a helmet bearing photos of athletes and coaches killed in the war with Russia.
Why it matters: Ukrainian, Vladyslav Heraskevych's removal from the competition comes amid an increasingly politicised environment at the Olympics. Other athletes and leaders expressed frustration with the committee's decision.
Heraskevych told reporters he didn't believe the helmet violated Olympic rules and plans to appeal his expulsion to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, posted on X a message of support for Heraskevych after the IOC handed down its punishment. "We are proud of Vladyslav and of what he did. Having courage is worth more than any medal."
Driving the news: Heraskevych wore the helmet honouring some 20 Ukrainian athletes and coaches during official training runs. The IOC sent him a letter stating that the helmet violated Olympic rules, which prohibit messaging of any kind on the field of play.
The decision to remove Heraskevych came after a meeting on Thursday with the athlete and IOC president, Kirsty Coventry.
Coventry and the IOC said they tried to reach a compromise, including allowing Heraskevych to display the helmet immediately after the competition when meeting with reporters.
What they're saying: "Sadly, we've not been able to come to that solution," Coventry said on Thursday after the meeting. "I really wanted to see him race today."
The other side: "I believe it's totally wrong to make this decision today, especially when already in this Olympic Games, others in almost equal situations were treated differently and didn't face any sanctions," Heraskevych told reporters. He added: "I have really bad thoughts and I believe that this situation also plays along with Russian propaganda."
Asked about his emotions, he said it was "hard to to put into words" but was something akin to "emptiness."
The big picture: Current and former athletes from beyond Ukraine spoke out in support of Heraskevych. "It's shocking," British former Olympic Gold Medalist, Lizzy Yarnold, told the BBC. "He deserves an apology."
Dan Barefoot, an American competing in the event, said he had thought sports officials would've allowed Heraskevych to compete. "It's sad," Barefoot told reporters. "He's one of the best sliders in the world and obviously he believed that that was a more important cause than sliding."
Ulla Zirne, a two-time Olympian in Luge from Latvia, posted on Threads that she feels "ashamed that I once believed the Olympic system represented the purest form of sport" and said that athletes are being treated as tools.
Latvia's president and minister of foreign affairs both posted messages on X pledging solidarity with Heraskevych.
Vladyslav Heraskevych, told reporters he would appeal to the CAS. "It's hard to say or put into words. It's emptiness," he said in response to the ban. "It really looks like discrimination because many athletes already were expressing themselves," he added.
The IOC had pleaded with Heraskevych āto adhere to guidelines and avoid potential disqualification from the Games and the men's skeleton race on Thursday. It argued his "helmet of remembrance," depicting 24 images of dead compatriots, violated rules which prevent political statements while athletes are competing.
The IOC had suggested compromises, including wearing a black armband or showing the helmet before and after racing. The athlete, whose performance had put him within reach of a medal in Italy, remained defiant after a āmeeting between the two sides on Wednesday failed to secure an agreement.
President Kirsty Coventry was choked up with tears after being unable to change Heraskevych's mind on Thursday morning before the race. She said she didn't disagree with his "powerful message".
"I really āwanted to see him race. It's been an emotional morning," Coventry said. "It's literally about the rules and the regulations and that in this case... we have to be able to keep a safe environment for everyone and sadly, that just means no messaging is āallowed."
Separately, the IOC said in a statement on Thursday that it was "very keen for Mr. Heraskevych to compete." "This is why the IOC sat down with him to look for the most respectful way to address his desire to remember his fellow athletes who have lost their lives following Russia's invasion of Ukraine."
Ukraine's Olympic Committee had backed their athlete, who ā is also the team's flagbearer for the Games and also displayed ā a "No War in Ukraine" sign at the Beijing 2022 Olympics, days before Russia's invasion.
Heraskevych said even if he wanted to change the helmet, he would not āhave time to prepare one that would fit him. The athlete said he believes there are inconsistencies in how the IOC decides what statements are allowed.
"I believe, deeply, the IBSF [International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation] and IOC understand that I'm not violating any rules," Heraskevych said on Thursday.
He explained that U.S., figure skater, Maxim Naumov, brought a photo of his late parents, who were killed in a plane crash, to a corner of the rink on Tuesday.
Israeli skeleton athlete, Jared Firestone, wore a skullcap at the opening ceremony with names of Israeli athletes and coaches killed in the 1972 Munich attack. It isn't ā the first time the IOC has sanctioned an athlete for a political message.
At the 1968 Summer Olympics, U.S. sprinters, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, were expelled from the Games after protesting about racial injustice. In Paris in 2024, Afghan breakdancer, Manizha Talash, was disqualified after wearing a cape with the slogan "Free Afghan Women."
I'm with the critics and Heraskevych. I don't see a problem with what he did. All he's doing is showing support for his home country. To me, there's no political "interference" in this particular action. He's displaying that he's proudly Ukrainian and he isn't afraid to show his, "true colours" as a reaction to the events that's occuring.