World Record holder and Olympic gold medalist Federica Pellegrini has published the list of 59 items of Federica memorabilia that will go on the auction block to benefit the ongoing battle against coronavirus and COVID-19 in her home country of Italy. Pellegrini announced the auction on March 30th that she would auction off several pieces of memorabilia to benefit the hospital in Bergamo, which is Italy’s hardest-hit city. Bergamo has over 10,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 2,200 deaths. The city has been home to many stories of doctors having to choose which patients to try to save from the disease and which to let die as bodies pile up in makeshift, unrefrigerated morgues.
Pellegrini is a celebrity in Italy, partially for her swimming accomplishments that include 7 World Championships, a 2008 Olympic gold medal, and a record-setting 7 straight medals at the long course World Championships in the 200 free. Her star has grown from there with big mainstream presence that includes as a judge on Italy’s Got Talent: a role she’s held since 2018.. Her reach includes over 1.1 million followers on Instagram.
Shoes worn by Federica Pellegrini in the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games.
The items she is auctioning include memorabilia from both sides of her life. Among the swimming artifacts are suits, caps, and goggles that Pellegrini wore at several major meets. That includes the cap she wore when she won the 2017 World Championship in the 200 free, the goggles she wore when she won the 2019 World Championship in the 200 free, the goggles she wore to break the World Record in the 200 free in 2009, and the big prize: the goggles she wore when she won her Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games.
Other items are more focused on fashion and her role as a host on Italia’s Got Talent 2020, including several outfits that she wore on the show that airs to millions every week.
There are even a few items that straddle the two, like the shoes she wore in the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The bidding for all items will start at 1 Euro and will be part of a live auction streamed on the 6enough platform beginning at 15:30 local time (10:30 AM U.S. Eastern Time). The auctioneer will be Frank Matano, an Italian actor and Pellegrini’s fellow judge on Italia’s Got Talent.
Proceeds will be used to purchase needed medical equipment for hospital staff, including gowns and face masks.
The list of Pellegrini’s auction items comes as Italy, one of the world’s hardest-hit countries during the global coronavirus pandemic, received news of a possible light at the end of the tunnel: the Sports Minister hinted that, if social distancing continues until the new May 3rd target, some elite sport training and competition (including swimming and soccer) could return on May 4th.
Will a session with the Magnini-Pellegrini nutritionist be included among the items auctioned?
Conor Dwyer has entered the chat