The 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum will open its doors to the public later this year, within the grounds of the Khalifa International Stadium.
The upcoming museum forms part of Qatar Museum’s (QM) long-term aim of creating a strong and sustainable cultural infrastructure in the country.
In a press statement, QM noted that 3-2-1, occupying 19,000sqm of gallery space, will be the largest museum of its kind in the world in terms of floor plan, exhibition area and content.
According to QM, 3-2-1 aims to educate residents and visitors about the origins of global (Olympic) and Qatari sports, giving them access to hundreds of objects from around the globe and interactive exhibits, in addition to unique activities.
Most recently, 3-2-1 curated an exhibition dedicated to world boxing legend Mohamed Ali (1942-2016).
The Museum, a member of the Olympic Museum Network which brings together 22 Olympic museums worldwide, is expected to inspire and encourage people to take part in sports and other physical activities.
The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland and 3-2-1 will be the only museums in the world to house Olympic torches from every single Olympic Games, QM added.
Apart from gallery space, 3-2-1, which will be connected to the Khalifa International Stadium via a walkway, also features broadcast facilities for sports media, cafe and restaurant designed and conceived by Michelin star winning head Chef Tom Aiken, and a reference library accessible to the public.
The Museum will also have an International Olympic Committee Cultural and Heritage Foundation hub, allowing it to promote activities across a variety of platforms.
Built in 1976 in Al Rayyan, QM noted that the Stadium hosted a series of events in Qatar’s sporting history – including the Asian Games, the Gulf Cup and the AFC Asian Cup. It was reopened in May 2017.
Qatar’s Aspire Zone Foundation led an extensive refurbishing of the 40,000 capacity Stadium, which will be among the major stadiums at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in the country.
Ahead of 3-2-1’s official opening, QM said it will showcase pop-up exhibitions in venues around Doha, including the history of the Olympic Games, as well as local and international sport events that take place in Qatar.