What Happens If Athletes Refuse To Accept Olympic Medal

Winning an Olympic medal is the pinnacle of an athlete's career and is the culmination of years of hard work.

The sheer euphoric feeling an athlete experiences on the podium when they achieve their Olympic dream is truly something special. Gold is of course the goal but even getting a silver and bronze is an incredible achievement that so many are delighted with - as has been evident at the Winter Games in Milan-Cortina.

Still, there have been a number of issues this time around - particularly medals breaking. Team USA athletes athletes Breezy Johnson and Alysa Liu saw their ribbons come away, while Justus Strelow of Germany saw his bronze medal crack on the floor.

In another worrying claim, Swedish cross-country skier Ebba Andersson said her medal “fell in the snow and broke in two”.

Andrea ­Francisi, the chief Games ­operations officer, said chiefs are "­looking into what exactly the ­problem is" and "will pay maximum attention to the medals".

The medals have had a number of issues reported by athletes. Image: Getty

Athletes have still continued to accept their medals even with the issues but that has not always been the case over the years.

Sportsmanship and respect are hugely important values as far as the Olympics go but there are a couple of occasions where athletes have refused a medal and received sanctions as a result.

Two athletes received lifetime bans at Olympics

At the 1992 showpiece in Barcelona, weightlifter Ibragim Samadov picked up bronze in the light heavyweight category while representing the Unified Team of the former Soviet Union.

Because three individuals were tied, he ended up dropping to bronze because he weighed .05 kg heavier and that led to quite the boycott.

Samadov refused to allow the medal to be placed around his neck at the ceremony and then when it was put in his hand, he dropped it on the podium as boos rang out.

A disqualification and a lifetime ban from the IOC followed - with Samadov ineligible for the Weightlifting Hall of Fame because of his antics.

Instead, he went against the grain and accepted it in his hand before dropping it on the podium and walking off to a chorus of boos.

16 years later and Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian reacted in a similar manner during the Beijing event.

Ara Abrahamian was banned for life for his antics. Image: Getty

After losing to Italian Andrea Minguzzi in the semi final of the 84kg weight class of the Greco-Roman wrestling event, he went on to win the bronze medal.

But furious after what he claimed were "blatant errors in judging", he quickly removed his bronze medal and placed the memento on the competition mat.

Having won silver in 2004, Abrahamian did win the bronze medal match but was not bothered in the slightest.

This also led to a disqualification and lifetime ban after a hearing. The IOC have been clear that, "any disruption by any athlete, in particular a medalist, is in itself an insult to the other athletes and to the Olympic Movement. It is also contrary to the spirit of fair play".

The ban was later reversed but Abrahamian had decided to retire and did not wrestle again.