U.S. Figure Skater Amber Glenn Speaks Out Amid Winter Olympics Medal Investigation

Glenn was already an Olympic medalist even before the individual competition. She was part of the Team USA squad that won gold in the team event.

Glenn, however, encountered the same problem that other Olympians experienced with their medals. The issue centered on the medals detaching from the official ribbon. At that time, ESPN reported that “Olympic organizers are investigating with ‘maximum attention.’”  

In an interview during the Winter Olympics, Glenn addressed the issue while wearing her gold medal from the team event.

“[American ice dancer] Evan Bates told us like, ‘Hey, these things are actually a bit fragile,” Glenn said. “Some of the ribbons have come off, or it’ll get dented, so I’m trying to be very cautious.”

As she stated, Glenn had already received a friendly warning from her compatriot. Bates also won gold in the team event alongside Glenn. He wanted to make sure that Glenn and the other medalists were aware of the issue.

Glenn heeded her teammate’s advice, and she made sure to be very delicate with how she handled her precious medal.

According to a Reuters report, the Olympics investigated the issue with the Italian State Mint, which is responsible for producing the medals. In a statement, Olympics Communications Director Luca Casassa said that “a solution was identified and a targeted intervention was implemented.”

The full details of the resolution were not revealed. However, Olympians who encountered the problem were asked to return the medals “so that they can be promptly repaired."