The latest exhibition at Lausanne’s Olympic Museum is all about the athletes and their stories. And while their record-breaking exploits might be difficult to relate to, the human stories of passion, heartbreak and solidarity that lie behind them, contain something we can all connect with.
© Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Image
For the exhibition, the Museum interviewed 50 athletes on what helped to lead them to success. These interviews, and the accompanying portraits of each athlete, aim to offer insights valuable to everyone, demonstrating the universal human nature of the struggle to win.
© CIO
The exhibition contains an area where you can enjoy games and activities linked to the Olympic values – giant hopscotch, memory games, and table football. You can also sit back and watch one of a number of informative films.
© 2010 / Comité International Olympique (CIO) / EVANS, Jason
From 19 to 22 April 2019, there will be a chance to meet experienced coaches and athletes who will reveal the secrets to what it takes to be a champion. Click here for more information.
In addition to the temporary exhibition, there is the permanent Olympic museum, spread over three levels and packed with detailed historical displays, such as one explaining the games’ links to the ancient Greek god Zeus.
Olympic artifacts, such as the Olympic torch that travelled to Beijing via the top of mount Everest, abound.
Many will be struck by a sense of how little they know about this iconic global event.
How many know that ancient Greek athletes competed naked, or that a French educationalist inspired by the British public school system restarted the event?
Luz LONG (GER) and Jesse OWENS (USA). © 1936 : Comité International Olympique (CIO)
The exhibits show the Games’ very human side and how it brings diverse people together, even in times of conflict.
And museum is not all about the winners. At the ancient Greek Olympics, cheats were fined and their names engraved under large bronze figures, creating a permanent public record of shame and deterrence.
Another display shows the swimming costume of Eric Moussambani. Moussambani holds the Olympic record for the slowest 100m freestyle – he learnt to swim a few months before the Games and had never seen an Olympic-sized pool before qualifying.
Entry into the temporary exhibition is free. All material is presented in both English and French. Both the permanent museum and temporary exhibition are a great activity for families.
Where: The Olympic Museum
Address: Quai d’Ouchy 1, 1006 Lausanne.
Google Maps: location
Temporary exhibition dates: 13 April 2019 – 15 March 2020.
Times: typical museum opening hours are from 9am until 6pm (1 May to 15 October) or 10am until 6pm (16 October to 30 April).
Entry: The temporary exhibition is free. The permanent museum is CHF 18 for adults and CHF 10 for children (under 6 free). A family ticket costs CHF 40.
Website: Olympic museum
Time required: you could easily spend 2-3 hours in the main museum.
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