Claim: Ukrainian boxer Vladimir Klitschko auctions his Olympic medal to help Ukrainian children
Citizens around the world have found different ways to send financial aid to Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian offensive. Online, some claim that a Ukrainian celebrity sold a valuable game token to help children survive the war.
Boxer Wladimir Klitschko has “auctioned his 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games gold medal to raise funds for the children of Ukraine,” reads the caption of an image shared on Facebook on March 14.
Similar version of post Earned hundreds of shares on Facebook and Twitter before being removed. But the claim is false, as reported by independent fact-checking outlets.
Now retired boxer Klitschko sold his Olympic medal to help Ukraine’s children in 2012 – a decade before the current Russian invasion.
USA Today contacted the Facebook user who posted the image for comment.
medals sold in 2012
Klitschko won Olympic gold for Ukraine in men’s superheavyweight boxing at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He sold the medal at a 2012 charity auction for $1 million, Agence France-Press reported at the time.
The event, which raised more than $1.5 million, was organized by the Klitschko Foundation. The organization run by Klitschko and his brother Vitaly – who serves as the mayor of Kyiv – focuses on helping Ukrainian children through sports and education.
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Klitschko told CNN that proceeds from the medal went to the foundation’s efforts. But the medal never changed hands.
The buyer’s representative announced shortly after the sale that the buyer’s wish was to leave the medal in the Klitschko family, CNN and AFP reported.
Our Rating: Missing Context
Based on our research, we recommend MissingContext to evaluate the claim that Klitschko auctioned her Olympic medals to help Ukrainian children, as it may be misleading without additional information. Klitschko sold her gold medal in 2012 and the proceeds go to the Klitschko Foundation, which aims to help children through sports and education. The medal was sold 10 years before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Our fact-checking sources:
- The Hill, March 8, Thousands send help to Ukrainians by booking Airbnb stays they won’t use
- Olympic.com, accessed March 18, Wladimir Klitschko
- Associated Press, August 3, 2017, Wladimir Klitschko, former heavyweight boxing champion, retires
- International Olympic Committee, accessed March 18, Klitschko v Wolfgram (Gold Medal) – Men’s Super Heavyweight Atlanta 1996
- Agence France-Presse, March 30, 2012, Boxer Klitschko auctions gold medal for $1 million
- Klitschko Foundation, accessed March 18, About us
- CNN, July 26, 2012, Klitschko: Why did I sell my Olympic gold medal for $1 million?
- PolitiFact, March 16, Ukrainian boxing star auctions 2012 Olympic gold medal
- Reuters, March 15, Fact Check – Wladimir Klitschko auctioned off his 1996 Olympic gold medal in 2012
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Our fact-check work is partially supported by a grant from Facebook.
