The custom of Olympians biting their medals originates from an ancient tradition which involved a sort of test by merchants on the coins they received as payment. These, in fact, bit them to verify their authenticity and the same gesture, albeit in different conditions, was also practiced by miners on gold nuggets. Over time it has also become a characteristic action in the world of sport, so much so that biting medals is now in the collective imagination and takes on the role of a real tradition. It would even seem that it is often the journalists and photographers themselves who ask the winners to carry out this practice on the podium at the end of the awards ceremony.
Yet, precisely at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, the medalists are facing a test of resistance far more formidable than the athletes’ teeth. In fact, a real case broke out: many athletes complained of damage following the sudden falls of the prize they received, due in turn to the cord detaching from the metal. The State Mint, however, has already intervened to remedy the assembly defects.
How come champions bite gold medals when they win
Merchants and miners were historically accustomed to lightly biting gold coins or stones to understand and analyze their composition beforehand. Specifically, if the gold was bonded to harder materials, no imprint would have remained, on the contrary, if it had been pure, with the pressure of the bite a visible trace would have remained. How and why this habit passed to the world of sport and replicated with medals remains a real mystery, the fact is that over time it has become a real ritual for athletes.
Although it is typical and very common in athletes in the event of victory, there are several interviews in which a certain attention to this gesture on the part of photographers also emerges. In fact, several champions claimed to have received an explicit request to bite the medal at the time of the official shot. From ancient roots linked to practical and functional issues, therefore, today it has become a real ritual inherent in the celebrations and also considered scenographic by professionals.
The case of the medals of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics breaking
Winning the gold, getting on the podium and seeing the medal come off and fall to the ground shortly after. There have been several reports from the winners of Milano-Cortina 2026 regarding damage suffered to their medals, especially following sudden falls. Specifically, the problem seems to concern a safety system inserted in the hook between the lanyard and the medal, designed to avoid suffocation in the event of strong traction. This would cause an accidental and often immediate release resulting in the medal falling from the neck. The Milan-Cortina Foundation, however, promptly intervened by letting it be known that the State Mint (which produced the medals for the Olympic Games) has already devised a solution and invited all athletes who have encountered problems to come forward. The remedy identified would seem to include a second safety system which, without affecting the efficiency of the first, would make the hook safer.
