Romanian superstar David Popovici has donated one of the gold medals he won at the 2022 World Championships to charity, having it melted to benefit children with cancer.
Popovici posted a video on Instagram of him watching some of his career highlights on a big screen before he melts the medal, dipping it into a machine, and then is seen speaking to three children:
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“I chose to donate my World Championship gold medal as a sign of hope for children diagnosed with cancer,” Popovici wrote in the post, translated from Romanian.
The video says the donation will help provide free genetic testing for children recently diagnosed with cancer, and finished by saying “An extra chance at personalized treatment. An extra chance at life.”
The initiative, which has the hashtag #HopeIsImmuneToCancer, was developed by Romany company MedLife, which fully funds and support the program designed to help patients aged 0-18 diagnosed with oncological diseases.
Popovici also became an ambassador for the organization “Hope and Homes Romania” in April, which helps get children out of orphanages and families to live with.
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“I chose to donate a soul medal, very important to me, to those who need it more, so that hope can go on,” Popovici said, according to MedLife.
“The truth is that by far the most important championship is the championship of life, the maintenance of health. Children diagnosed with cancer need our support. The talents they have, their ambitions for the future, but above all the temerity they have to show in the fight against this disease make them extraordinary people.
“In order to be as many as possible who help these children, I invite you all to donate a little of your time to give a share to the #HopeIsImmuneToCancer program so that it reaches those who really need it. Trust me, every one of you counts, every share counts, every child counts.”
Popovici, 18, has exploded onto the international scene with his performances over the last two years, making a pair of Olympic final in the men’s 100 and 200 freestyle at the Tokyo Games in 2021 before winning double gold in the two events at the 2022 World Championships.
The medal he donated was the gold medal from the men’s 200 free at the World Championships in Budapest.
Following his performance at Worlds, Popovici had an even better showing at the European Championships in Rome, breaking the world record in the men’s 100 free (46.86) and becoming the third-fastest swimmer of all-time in the 200 free (1:42.97).
You can also watch the video posted on Popovici’s Instagram page on YouTube via MedLife below:
Skinny legend, you are!!
Keep up the wonderful morals and your legacy may not be just time in the record books.
Great news story.
He’s such a great role model and he’s still very young.
If more people were like him in the world, it would be a better place.
DPop is now my favorite swimmer besides Michael Andrew.
Mature well beyond his years. And to think he could potentially swim professionally for another 15 years.
He really is one of a kind, he is the best role model and ambassador we Romanians could have asked for. It’s hard to explain it to people like all of you here, who really understand swimming and what a 46.86 means, but in Romania we kind of admire him more for who he is outside the pool than for what he achieves as an athlete.
Also. This article states that this campaign is run by Hope and Homes for Children, but actually that is an unrelated charity he is also supporting.
Updated, thank you!
the production value here is outrageous
Why to melt it. Wasn’t it worth more as the medal. Sell it as Ervin’s done and then donate money for same cause. It would make much more to children in need.
They made some 100 pins out of David ‘s medal and gave them to children who had cancer (you can see the children in the video wearing them). The message is that they are also winners, fighing the hardest fight of all. They received their own gold medal from the country’s top athlete who is a teen himself. I find it very touching, on so many levels.
The campaing aims to raise awareness for a new and free genetic testing programme for children diagnosed with cancer.
a genius PR stunt
He also donated one of his 2019 EYOF medals, back when nobody knew who he was.
He’s smart enough to know some people might whine about it being PR thing, but he said never mind those people and did something nice anyway
Legend
Nothing wrong with David stepping up to be a visible, positive role model. Tearing down others, on the other hand, is a clear sign of weakness, Andrew.
Big question to ask yourself, Andrew: did David’s so called “PR stunt” do more or less good for the world this week than you have?
If the answer is “more” then maybe it’s time to take a day away from the internet for self reflection.