Athens Olympic Museum

What I can see

The western part of the former International Press Centre of the 2004 Olympic Games now houses the Olympic Museum of Athens. It is located right next to the Olympic Sports Centre of Athens (OAKA) so the experience of the museum is directly related to the sports and cultural venues that hosted the events of the 28th Olympics. The design and decoration of the museum is minimal. Assisted by technology, the permanent collection takes us from the ancient Olympic Games to the modern, with physical, digital and interactive exhibits on display. These displays include many interesting objects, such as the kotinos (wild olive wreath, prize of the ancient Olympians), historical albums, objects of athletes, medals, Olympic torches and objects of the opening ceremony of the 2004 Games. Key sections of the exhibition focus on the birth of the Olympic Games in Ancient Olympia, their revival in Athens in 1896, their return to Greece in 2004, the first participation of women in the Games, the Winter Olympics, and the Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

What I can't see

An Olympic museum was planned for immediately after the 2004 Olympics, in order to highlight their importance, but this did not happen for many years. As a result, many post-Olympic opportunities and expensive facilities were not used. The aim of the museum is to highlight the Olympic spirit, the history of the games, and the cultural dimension of the games along with the spirit of competition. The museum is under the auspices of the Greek and International Olympic Committee. There have been constructive collaborations with many museums around the world, such as the British Museum, The Met, and the Hermitage, but also Greek museums such as the Archaeological Museum of Olympia and the Benaki Museum. Many athletes and collectors donated items to the museum, such as Pyrros Dimas, Sofia Bekatorou, Demosthenes Tabakos, the Kaftantzoglou family and others. The museum’s activities include seminars, periodic exhibitions and the writing of special editions.

Info

• Address: 37a Kifissias Av.
• Postal Code : 15123
• Phone: +30 2106885560
• E-mail: [email protected]
• Website: https://athensolympicmuseum.org/

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