MILAN — A faulty medal podium is causing some unexpected headaches for skaters at the Winter Olympics. After the medal-winning teams from the United States, Japan and Italy ascended the on-ice podium to receive their medals in Sunday night’s team event, several skaters reported that the surface of the podium damaged their blades, necessitating varying degrees of repair and sharpening.
In most cases, skaters cover their blades right after coming off the ice, to prevent damage to the blades. But the positioning of the podium Sunday night required skaters to skate out to the podium and then immediately step onto the damaging surface.
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“We didn’t realize once we were on the podium that there was something weird about the surface of the podium,” said Italy’s Marco Fabbri, who won a bronze medal Sunday night. “There were some small stones, almost. We couldn’t feel it on the podium. But then as soon as we we stepped down (onto the ice) everyone was like, ‘I cannot move anymore, I cannot slide anymore.’ It was like the same feeling as having some glue under the blade. And so today we had to sharpen the blade. So it was a little bit stressful.”
The need for skaters’ blades to be precisely tuned is obvious; properly sharpened blades allow for the graceful turns, spins and jumps that characterize Olympic skating. Different skaters prefer different degrees of sharpness and feel depending on the preferred ratio of “bite” (that is, grip on the ice) to “glide” (speed on the ice). Any force that blunts the blade — like, say, an unexpectedly rough surface — risks damaging that delicate balance.
“If it’s a small nick, it’s not the biggest issue. A couple passes to sharpen it and the stone to tune it would take care of it,” says two-time Olympic gold medalist Nathan Chen. The key, though, is ensuring the skater’s comfort in the most crucial routines of their life: “I want to trust my blades are in tip-top shape. I want to be confident they’ll do exactly what I expect.”
The Milano Cortina Organizing Committee released the following statement on the podium matter to Yahoo Sports:
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“During the Figure Skating Team Event medal ceremony, the anti-slip surface of the podium caused some damage to the athletes’ skates. Milano Cortina 2026 is taking steps to replace the surface to prevent a reoccurrence.
“To minimize the impact of the damage to athletes’ preparations and in agreement with ISU, Milano Cortina 2026 has made a skate-sharpening service available and offered an additional training session to the impacted National Olympic Committees. We also understand that some NOCs have offered their services to the impacted athletes from other countries in a true example of the Olympic spirit.
“Milano Cortina 2026 apologizes for the inconvenience caused and reiterates its commitment to ensuring the best possible conditions for all athletes.”
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Amber Glenn’s coach, Damon Allen, told Yahoo Sports that her skates are ready to go:
Jackie Wong of Rocker Skating reported Monday evening that Japan has filed a formal protest regarding the podium surface. However, it’s unclear on what basis Japan is protesting, or what remedies the Japanese NOC would seek.
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