Scandals That Have Plagued The 2026 Winter Olympics

The Winter Olympics has a long tradition of shocking scandals. Back in the early 20th century, for instance, ice skating sensation Sonja Henie marred her legacy forever by performing a Nazi salute at the Winter Games. Decades later, leading up to the 1995 Olympics, famous Olympic figure skaters Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan took their rivalry to the next level through a violent attack that ended Kerrigan's Olympic dreams. Since then, the world has seen everything from shady Russian figure skating coaches to doping scandals.

Naturally, the 2026 Olympic Games in Milano Cortino have seen their fair share of scandal as well. Since the start of the games in February of 2026, things have been dramatic to say the least. Plastic surgery rumors, judging controversies, and confessions of cheating have all kept viewers on their toes. Plus, there have been a few emotional outbursts and even an alcohol misuse scandal that have sullied the reputations of athletes and coaches alike.

The 2026 Milano Cortino Olympics were supposed to be a huge moment for Norwegian skier Atle Lie McGrath, who hoped to cinch the gold medal in the men's slalom event. On the day of the finals, his biggest competition crashed out — leaving him in the perfect position to land on the podium. Then disaster struck, and McGrath straddled a gate. In one of the most dramatic Olympic moments guaranteed to make you cry, the skier was eliminated from the competition. But rather than take the loss with his head held high, McGrath did the unthinkable: He threw his ski poles into the snow and then headed off into the woods.

"I just needed to get away from everything," McGrath would later tell reporters, as per The Guardian. "I thought I would get some peace and quiet," he added. Of course, throwing a massive tantrum in front of millions of viewers across the world is not among the best ways to draw attention away from yourself. Even McGrath had to admit that his strategy here was poor, sharing, "I didn't [get any peace and quiet] because photographers and police found me out in the woods." Following this paparazzi and police chase, McGrath made numerous headlines for what many fans viewed as a sign of poor sportsmanship. In an attempt to move forward, McGrath decided to spend more time with family and friends — and less time in the spotlight.

Atle Lie McGrath wasn't the only 2026 Olympian to make headlines for a scandalous emotional outburst. Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid also went viral for sharing his feelings — about all the wrong topics. Upon cinching the bronze medal in the 20-kilometer singles event, Laegreid realized that he was single in more ways than one. When asked by reporters about his big win, the athlete lamented that he'd just been dumped by his girlfriend the week before. "Six months ago, I met the love of my life and the most beautiful and kindest person in the world. Three months ago, I made my biggest mistake and cheated on her, and I told her about a week ago," he confessed to Norway's NRK (via Fox News).

Laegreid's confession made waves across the globe for the total lack of appropriateness. Following major backlash in his native Norway, Laegreid apologized for making his time on the podium about his lack of fidelity. "I deeply regret bringing up this personal story on what was a day of celebration for Norwegian biathlon," the athlete later shared in a statement to NRK, per the BBC. As for Laegreid's ex, she anonymously wrote a piece for VG, the local newspaper, in response. "It's hard to forgive," she penned (via the BBC). "Even after a declaration of love in front of the whole world." Indeed, it takes time to get over a breakup, but there is always hope on the horizon.

One of the biggest 2026 Olympic scandals pertained to rumors that members of the men's ski jumping teams were injecting acid into their genitals to gain an advantage in the competition. Apparently, those who underwent the procedure could wear a more aerodynamic ski suit, allowing competitors to jump a few extra meters during the Olympics. Although this #penisgate crisis generated a lot of controversy online, it was dismissed by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation as purely untrue. Or, at least, it was ... until a highly-respected physician claimed to have performed a member enlargement procedure on a ski jumper.

"Regarding the news in question, I did in fact treat an athlete from that sport, whose name and nationality I will obviously not disclose, nor whether he is participating in these Olympics," expert plastic surgeon Alessandro Littara told USA Today. Littara said that the athlete told him that he wanted to feel confident in the changing room among other competitors. Following news of the #penisgate scandal, however, Littara admitted, "I cannot say whether he told me the whole truth, but in any case, we did a good job and implanted a more than generous dose of hyaluronic acid." Given that Littara has been described by the German medical group UGRS Darmstadt as a "leading doctor in Europe" for enlargement procedures, his claims have been taken seriously (via the Daily Mail).

During the 2026 Olympic Games at Milano Cortina, Canadian curler Marc Kennedy was accused of cheating. While facing off with the Swedish curling team, Kennedy was said to have touched the granite following the original push — a double-touching tactic that's completely against the rules. Using some very colorful language, Kennedy denied cheating and told his competitor, Oskar Eriksson, "You can f**k off," per TNT Sports. When Eriksson asked Kennedy if the latter was sure that he hadn't been cheating, the Canadian athlete exploded a second time. "How about you walking around my peel and around the house? How about that? C'mon Oskar, just f**k off," Kennedy retorted.

The Canadian athlete's outburst sent shock waves through his homeland, where Canadian citizens grew concerned about the way that Kennedy was representing their culture. Kennedy, however, told the press that he had few regrets about his response. "I probably could have handled it better," Kennedy admitted (via the BBC). "But we're human out there and there's a lot of emotions. I'm not going to apologize for defending my teammates and standing up for myself." He went on to reiterate his denial of all cheating allegations, stating, "I've curled my whole life, never once with the intention of getting an advantage through cheating." The officials who were moderating the tournament said that they didn't see any signs of double-touching. Kennedy's cursing was ultimately the biggest scandal on the ice.

Things got awkward on the ice at the 2026 Olympics in Milano Cortina after two members of the U.S. Olympic figure skating team contested a score that put them in second place. Madison Chock and Evan Bates earned a silver medal for their wonderful ice dancing performance, coming in just behind the French gold-medalist duo, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron. However, the Americans questioned the results after they realized that the combined scores of all the judges — except for one — would have landed them in first place. This was especially suss because the judge who scored them a whopping eight points below Beaudry and Cizeron was Jezabel Dabouis, who hails from France.

It didn't take long for skating fans to wonder if Dabouis gave Beaudry and Cizeron an extra-high score simply because they share a homeland. Even Olympic skaters from other countries felt the need to weigh in. Italian ice dancer Marco Fabbri, the bronze medalist, told reporters, "I usually prefer Guillaume and Laurence. But today, in my opinion, they didn't skate so well. So, I think Madison and Evan would have deserved to win" (via CNN). Despite the controversy, the International Skating Union supported the judges' collective scoring process — keeping Beaudry and Cizeron in their first-place position. That said, the episode catalyzed calls for more transparency in the scoring process.

Alpine skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen grew up between two worlds. Born to a Brazilian mother and a Norwegian father, Pineheiro Braathen often felt that he didn't know which culture he most belonged to. Seeing as he grew up in Norway — and learned to ski there — the athlete started his career competing for Team Norway. Skiing beneath the Norsk flag, he earned a gold medal at the 2023 World Cup. However, what looked like a symbiotic relationship from afar was actually something else entirely.

Speaking to the Brazilian outlet UOL in 2026, Pinheiro Braathen revealed that the Norwegian Ski Federation wanted to prevent him from accepting sponsorships. "I didn't feel free," he admitted. Given that the athlete had already signed with Red Bull, things grew tense. The dynamic reached a boiling point, however, when Pinheiro Braathen took on a modeling gig without the federation's approval. Fed up with all these rules, the skier decided to represent Brazil in the 2026 Olympics. "The chance to represent the colors of the Brazilian flag appeared," he shared. "I didn't think twice."

At the 2026 Olympics, Pinheiro Braathen won Brazil's first-ever gold medal in a winter sport. The move ruffled some feathers in Norway, where commentators lamented the fact that the athlete has not given the Nordic country any credit. As for Pinheiro Braathen, he told UOL that he was skiing to make his Brazilian grandparents proud.

There are all sorts of rumors about what really goes on at the Olympic Village, but at the end of the day, athletes and coaches are expected to model appropriate behavior. Unfortunately, during the 2026 Olympics at Milano Cortina, Finnish ski jumping coach Igor Medved failed to abide by these standards and misused alcohol. In what Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet referred to as a "drunkenness scandal," Medved violated a team-wide agreement and disappointed the athletes (via The Guardian). "An unpleasant situation has arisen: alcohol was consumed in violation of team rules," said Finnish Ski Federation chair Marleena Valtasola, per the British outlet. "We have decided that Medved will not participate in the Olympics. The other issues will be discussed with him after the Games."

Although Medved would have probably liked to watch his trainees perform, he was asked to return to Finland and give the athletes the chance to compete without him. As Valtasola put it in the same public statement, "Now, it is essential to safeguard the athletes' concentration and restore serenity to the team and for Igor." She stressed the importance of all the people who would be stepping in from the disgraced coach, adding, "We have a solid staff in place and we are confident we can handle the situation in the best possible way."

The 2026 Winter Olympics was full of awkward ice skating moments that were caught on camera. Superstars like American figure skater Ilia Malinin and the stunning Canadian pairs skater Deanna Stellato-Dudek took uncharacteristic falls on the ice. While these incidents may have been shocking for some viewers, it is possible that there was an ice-related issue that could have contributed to these falls. Several Olympic skaters reported that the ice was softer than usual. "Maybe the ice was also not the best condition for what I would like to have," Malinin told the New York Times. Stellato-Dudek also told reporters, "The ice in Canada, all of the rinks are cold and the ice is hard, and you have to press when you jump. When you go to these events, the ice is soft" (via the National Post).

여기가 빙상장이야 수영장이야 진짜 기가 차서 찍었음 pic.twitter.com/DBz8H22yCc

— 영하 (@belowzero1021) February 14, 2026

Complaints extended beyond the athletes who didn't make it to the podium. "There were so many falls ... it's probably the worst ice of the year we've had," said Canadian silver medal speed skater Steven Dubois to CTV. Even some of the fans noticed that the ice seemed less frozen than expected, with one spectator sharing a picture of the melting ice on X. The caption, which was originally written in Korean, read, "Is this an ice rink or a swimming pool? I was honestly dumbfounded so I filmed it" (via Newsweek).