05/06/2014 12:10
Wife of late Volleyball star Vigor Bovolenta delivers emotional address in Cagliari
2014 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship - Final
Cagliari, Italy, June 5, 2014. On Thursday the organisers of the CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship – Final in Cagliari could welcome a special guest, former Volleyball player Federica Lisi. She is actually best known for being the wife of the late Volleyball star Vigor Bovolenta, a 1996 Olympic silver medallist and former European champion who passed away in March 2012 after suffering a severe heart attack during a Volleyball match in Italy’s second division.
Federica is currently touring Italy to discuss the content of a book where she has pulled together the memories of the years she spent with Bovolenta, most commonly known as “Bovo” among Volleyball fans. On Thursday night she is going to share her emotions and feelings with the audience of Cagliari, after visiting many other cities of the Italian peninsula. Lisi addressed the crowd of the centre court recalling the highs and lows she has gone through after her husband’s premature death: “It has been two difficult years, but I know that Vigor is still with me, he is a part of my life, and I feel him in my heart. We have been together for 15 years until he died but our partnership continues. Also because we had five children and the youngest was born after he had passed away,” said a very emotional Lisi.
After Vigor died in 2012, Italy’s Volleyball family never stopped paying its tribute to this gentle giant who was one of the most regular features in Italy’s national team in the late ‘90s and at the beginning of the past decade. “I have been to many Volleyball matches where I have seen banners prepared by the fans to express their sympathy and also to remember Vigor. These actions touch my heart.”
Back in August 2012, as Italy won bronze at the Olympic tournament in London, the players stepped on to the podium displaying a jersey bearing Bovolenta’s name. “Sometimes it is very difficult to open your heart up and discuss your feelings, as there are things you would rather keep for yourself. However, Volleyball was Vigor’s life and mine as well, so with you I feel like I can be free. My eldest son Alessandro has taken up the sport, so I go to his matches and I cheer on him like any other parents do. And this is also part of Vigor’s legacy, which makes me feel he is still alive, and a part of our lives,” Lisi said.
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