www.olympic.org - Site Officiel du Mouvement Olympique

HISTORY

Missions, support and successes of the Olympic Museum

HISTORY OF TODAYS OLYMPIC MUSEUM

The Olympic Museum is the museum of an idea. This idea was 99 years old on the inaugural day, 23rd June 1993, and this date coincides with the foundation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894. The conception is called Olympism which is the philosophy of uniting sport, art and culture. The creation of today's Olympic Museum was sparked by the resolve to give this union concrete form.

Pierre de Coubertin, who revived the Olympic Games, had the idea of creating an Olympic Museum. He proposed it for the first time in 1915 after setting up the headquarters of the IOC in Lausanne. The baron felt the museum should not only be the legacy of the newly restored Olympic Games, but should equally embody the ideals of Olympism.

OLYMPICS COME ALIVE

When Juan Antonio Samaranch became President of the IOC in 1980, he made it a major priority to create a vast, first-rate Olympic Museum and Olympic Studies Centre in Lausanne which would genuinely correspond to Pierre de Coubertin's wishes and promote the Olympic Spirit.

Samaranch's goal was to make the museum a living cultural centre endowed with modern audiovisual and computer-based presentation techniques. The construction of the present museum began in 1988 following the acquisition of properties located on the slopes overlooking Lake Geneva at Ouchy.

President Samaranch's aspirations were recognised in 1995 when the Olympic Museum was honoured with the "European Museum of the Year Award", under the auspices of the Council of Europe. The museum has now become Lausanne's main permanent attraction and has welcomed more than 2,6 million visitors since its opening (as of 31.12.2007).

THE OLYMPIC MUSEUM IN 10 EVENTS...

On the 23rd of June, Juan Antonio Samaranch, the then IOC President, inaugurated the Olympic Museum with Katarina Witt, who lit the Olympic fire in the cauldron in the park, in front of a considerable crowd of people.

1915
Baron de Coubertin announced in Lausanne (where the IOC had just been established) his intention to create a Museum for the IOC archives, as well as a public information centre on the Olympic Movement. The very first Museum, which was not open all the time, found a home in a room in the Montbenon Casino.

1922
The Museum moved into the Villa Mon-Repos, in the centre of Lausanne, which would also house the IOC headquarters until 1969. At first, the Museum only had one exhibition room, before expanding over the years and regularly adding to its collections.

23 June 1982
Setting up of the "provisional" Museum at 18 avenue Ruchonnet, also in the centre of Lausanne, which welcomed up to 10,000 visitors per year. The provisional Museum's main mission was to add to its collections.

9 December 1988
President Samaranch kicked off the building works of the current Museum, with the words "I want people to say that this is the most beautiful museum in the world". The event represented the culmination of a long process of negotiations to find the ideal spot to build the Museum.

23 June 1993
Inauguration of the Museum, on the same day as the IOC celebrated its 99th anniversary and following on from the 100th IOC Session, whose sole theme was "Olympism and Culture". The whole of the city of Lausanne was associated with the event and numerous political, cultural and sporting personalities came together in Ouchy.

1995
The Council of Europe awarded the Olympic Museum the European Museum of the Year prize, over 45 institutions in some 15 countries.

23 June 2001
The Museum had a facelift with the "Museum 2000" concept and its new permanent exhibitions with their state-of-the-art computer and audiovisual technology, responding better to its visitors' expectations, with extraordinary audiovisual shows. The inauguration was sumptuous and on the same day, President Samaranch awarded the Olympic Order to ten champions, including Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia), Pirmin Zurbriggen (Switzerland), Cathy Freeman (Australia), David Douillet (France), and Kazuyoshi Funaki (Japan).

20 July 2001
Elected a few days previously, at the IOC Session in Moscow, President Jacques Rogge received the keys of the Museum from Judge Kéba Mbaye, First Vice-President of the IOC, in the presence of numerous personalities from the Confederation, the State of Vaud and the City of Lausanne, IOC members and representatives of international sports federations.

22-23 June 2003
The Olympic Museum officially celebrated its 10th anniversary. Open doors on Sunday 22 June for visitors of all ages, and special events for young people on Monday 23. A real festival for the people.

End of 2007
2.6 million people have visited the Olympic Museum since it opened. In just a few years, the Olympic Museum has become one of the most visited museums in Switzerland!