Qatar Museums Authority’s Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum (QOSM) will open tomorrow the ‘Olympics – Past and Present’ exhibition at Alriwaq Doha exhibition space in the Museum of Islamic Art compound.
It is described as the largest exhibition of its kind showing both ancient and modern Olympic Games and narrating the history of the Olympics in ancient Greece and their re-establishment in modern times.
The exhibition, running until June 30, includes two different sections highlighting ancient Olympia and the modern Olympic Games. Organised in partnership with ExxonMobil Qatar, the event is the first to showcase a large number of objects from the collections of the QOSM and QMA’s Media Collections. There are additional pieces from around the world including Greece, France, Germany and Italy.
“For the first time, an exhibition showcases the cultural history of the ancient and modern Olympics on such a scale, not to mention a special section on Qatar’s participation in the world-class event,” said Dr Christian Wacker, director, QOSM.
“Partnering with the Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum to organise the ‘Olympics – Past and Present’ exhibition in Doha provides a great opportunity to emphasise both tradition and sports - two critical values shared by Qatar and ExxonMobil,” said Alistair Routledge, vice president, ExxonMobil Qatar.
The ancient section of the exhibition, ‘Olympia: Myth – Cult – Games,’ takes visitors on a journey through the history of ancient Olympia with more than 600 original objects from Greece and international museums.
Through this section, visitors can explore the sanctuary of Olympia, its role in ancient Greece, learn more about the Greek culture and the festivals held in Olympia, discover the programme of the ancient Games and practice some contemporary disciplines. These galleries showcase statues, vases, and bronzes depicting athletes and athletic activities as well as models of Olympia which illustrate the
sequence of events.
The modern part, ‘Olympics: Values – Competitions – Mega Events,’ sheds light on the background of the rediscovery of Antiquity during the Renaissance leading to the re-establishment of the Olympic Games in the 19th century and their
development to the present.
There is a comprehensive display of all the torches, posters, mascots, medals, programmes and tickets from the last 48 Winter and Summer Olympic Games. This section illustrates values and rituals of the Olympics promoting peace and personal achievements, as well as the broader context of this Mega Event and its interrelationship with politics, environment, economics, social issues and doping.
The exhibition showcases original films and images from all the Olympic Games and highlights the participation of Qatari athletes through a series of interviews with previous and current Qatari Olympians and Paralympians.
A three-month programme including gallery lectures, a theatre performance, a film festival as well as a family fun day will complement the exhibition. The gallery lectures will cover topics related to the ancient and modern Olympic Games.
The highlight in April will be a lecture by Qatari athletes Nada Wafa Arkaji and Ibrahim Ismail about their experience of becoming Olympic athletes.
The classical Greek play ‘Medea’ by Euripides will be performed on April 11, 12 and 13 at the exhibition venue. Directed by Professor Ann Woodworth, of Northwestern University in Qatar, with an international cast, the play will take the audience on a universal and timeless journey of a woman seeking justice. The family day on April 19 offers fun activities and
competitions for all ages.
QMA, QOSM, and ExxonMobil Qatar officials at an event yesterday to announce ‘Olympics u2013 Past and Present’ exhibition.
