Article by Roxana Fleşeru – Published Friday, February 27, 2026 8:08 p.m. / Updated Friday, February 27, 2026 8:22 p.m.
Francesca Lollobrigida (35 years old), the double Olympic champion in Milan-Cortina, spoke about her appearance on the stage of the Sanremo music festival. The artistic director, Carlo Conti, called her the “golden mother”, and some Italian journalists took this as an insult. The speed skater wanted to clear things up.
Francesca Lollobrigida, the great-granddaughter of the legendary actress Gina Lollobrigida, won two gold medals at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games in speed skating in the 3,000 and 5,000 meter events.
On Wednesday, she was present on the stage of the Sanremo festival, together with the biathlete Lisa Vittozzi, the organizers wanting to celebrate the achievements of the Italian delegation, ranked fourth in the medal ranking, with 30 distinctions, including 10 gold.
Francesca Lollobrigida and Lisa Vitozzi on stage Sanremo PHOTO Imago Images
This appearance caused an uproar, after Carlo Conti, Sanremo's artistic director and presenter, called Francesca Lollobrigida “the golden mother”. At the press conference that followed the second night of the music festival, he was asked if he didn't find it degrading that he called the athlete that way. “I don't understand where the controversy is, I was raised by a single woman, how can I not respect women?”, replied Conti.
Francesca Lollobrigida: “I am grateful to those who call me an athlete, an Olympian or anything else”
Francesca Lollobrigida, who celebrated winning the medals with her son Tommasso in her arms, wanted to clear things up in an interview with the press in Italy.
“I am grateful to those who call me an athlete, Olympian or whatever. But I called myself a mother first, from the beginning of this journey. I wanted to send a clear message: you can be both. I stopped at the peak of my career and came back stronger than ever after fully dedicating myself to my family. I have earned more now than I have ever earned in the past. The fact that I am called a mother does not discredit me in any way,” said the speed skater.
She added: “I couldn't have achieved all this without my family, the Italian Skating Federation and my sports team. It's teamwork; without support, you don't get far. With the “Mama Project”, the Federation has been with me every step of the way. Without this support, I probably wouldn't have won these two gold medals.”
Francesca Lollobrigida, Olympic 3,000m speed skating champion, and her son Tommasso Photo: Guliver/GettyImages
The Italian also talked about what it was like to go on the stage of the Ariston Theater, where the famous music festival takes place. “Floud, exciting. I told Laura Pausini that she is my favorite singer. I wanted to take a selfie with her, but at the only available moment I didn't have my phone with me. I missed the moment”, she said, smiling. The singer Laura Pausini is also a presenter this year.
Francesca Lollobrigida said she now wants her family to grow. Asked if her son Tomasso understood anything of the latest events, Francesca said: “He's not even three yet, so it's unlikely he's fully understood what really happened. He immediately played with the medals, luckily without breaking them, but now it's better to keep them safe. We have lots of photos and videos; one day we will see them all together“.
