The auction, which has also been supported by First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda, will run on Polish Radio 1 throughout the day, the broadcaster’s IAR news agency reported.
Fundraiser for Ukrainian kids
Listeners will be asked to bid by phone or text between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Items to go under the hammer include Lewandowski’s signed shirt, an autographed tennis ball from Poland's world No. 1 Iga Świątek and a canvas by surrealist painter Zdzisław Beksiński, among many other rarities.
The asking price for each item is PLN 1,000 (EUR 215) and they can be viewed on a special website at licytacjadlaukrainy.polskieradio.pl.
Proceeds from the auction will benefit the National Children’s Hospital in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Concert for Ukraine
As a follow-up to the fundraiser, Polish Radio will stage a special concert for Ukraine on Sunday.
Broadcast live by Polish Radio 1 and the polskieradio.pl website from 7 p.m. on May 29, the event will bring together Ukraine-themed performances from diverse acts.
The list of performers features the Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw, the Kyiv Piano Duo, and Krajka, a Ukrainian folk ensemble from the southeastern Polish city of Przemyśl that includes refugee children, organisers said.
Polish Radio stands with Ukraine
Thursday’s auction and the accompanying concert represent yet another Polish Radio initiative for Poland’s war-torn eastern neighbour, executives told reporters.
In March, the public broadcaster organised a benefit concert for Ukraine, while last month, it helped the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra prepare for its European tour, the IAR news agency reported.
Thursday is day 92 of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Source: IAR, polskieradio.pl