The Qatar Olympic & Sports Museum will host the largest Olympic exhibition of its kind. Open from March 28 to June 30, 2013 at the Al Riwaq Doha exhibition space, the exhibition “Olympics – Past and Present” will showcase two distinct sections.
In the ancient section, “Olympia: Myth – Cult – Games”, visitors can explore the sanctuary of Olympia, its role in ancient Greece, find out about the Greek culture and the festival held in Olympia, as well as discover the spirit of the Ancient Games. This section will also present the history of excavations showing for the first time over 600 objects, on loan from Greek and European museums.
The modern part, “Olympics: Values – Competitions – Mega Events”, will allow visitors to learn about the values of the Olympics and their importance in promoting peace and personal achievements. It will highlight the earliest Games, the participation of Qataris and women in the Olympics, and will shed light on the modern Olympic Games as a social, political, and cultural phenomenon.
Museums and collections which have contributed to the exhibition are the Greek museums of Ancient Olympia, the National Archaeological Museum, the Numismatic Museum , the German Antikensammlung Berlin, Staatliche Kunstsammlung, Staatliche Antikensammlungen München, Albertinum Dresden, the Italian Musei Vaticani, Galleria dei Candelabri Roma, Museo Nazionale Romano etc.
Partners from Germany and Greece include: the Greek Ministry of Culture, the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin, the Hellenic Foundation for Culture in Berlin and the German Archaeological Institute.
The exhibition in Qatar will be inaugurated by Kostas Tzavaras, Deputy Minister of Education and Religious Affairs, Culture and Sports.
The exhibition will appear at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens in autumn 2013.
