gold medal (illustration)
gold medal (illustration)flash90

Gal Fridman, Israel's only Olympic gold medalist, has stated that he is not considering selling his gold medal, YNET reported.

Fridman wrote on Facebook Monday that he was looking for an expert on eBay “who understands how to auction a rare item, the only one of its kind in Israel," in response to financial problems. He later clarified in the comments section of the post that he would auction off the medal.

On Tuesday, Fridman told the heads of the Olympic Committee that he was had changed his mind about selling the medal, apparently because of the negative criticisms surrounding the decision. Instead he will auction off the board that came with the medal. "The goal is to sell the board to a place that will display it in a respectful manner that will be accessible to the public, maybe a stadium."

Fridman, 43, retired in 2008 and trained other windsurfers. He currently works as an event photographer.

In 2005, one year after he won it, the medal was stolen from a safe at the home of Fridman’s parents. It was found days later in a nearby forest. He said before it was found that “no amount of money will replace this medal; I cannot explain how sad I am.”