Gella Vandecaveye finally has her Olympic medals back: « Fantastic feeling » (Wuustwezel)

« A compliment for the researchers, » Vandecaveye said when the medals are transferred in the presence of the press. « The police have done fantastic work. It is a fantastic feeling to have my medals back. » Some agents from the Border Police Zone were also allowed to put on the medals. They also received a bottle from Vandecaveyes’ own champagne brand as a gift.

At the beginning of May, the precious honorary metal of the ex-judoka suddenly appeared on 2dehands.be. Gigantic amounts were offered. The ball started rolling when a person from the Netherlands Vandecaveye warned by e -mail that her medals were for sale online. « I immediately notified the police. There was even up to three million on my bronze medal and 1 million on my silver. I never earned that much in my judo career, » said the former professional sportsman.

The minor young man behind the finder washed his hands in innocence and claimed that his grandfather got hold of the medals through the buying of a bankruptcy. « If I knew they were stolen, I would of course never have resold it, » De Jongeman said to our newspaper.

According to the boy’s father, they have a lawful proof of purchase. « Everything went correctly through a curator. » The grandfather immediately gave the medals back to the police, who did start an investigation into how the family got the medals in her possession.