Athens Gets a New Museum Dedicated to the Olympics

The Olympics, the biggest sporting event in the world, commands the attention of millions of viewers every four years. Tokyo is getting all set to host the Games in July, after it was postponed last year. In March 2020, the International Olympics Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo 2020 organising committee had released a joint statement declaring the postponement of the summer Olympics in Japan, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This year, it looks like fans from other countries may not get to attend. The issue of banning foreign visitors has been discussed by the IOC for a while now, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Japan. 

The Olympic Games go back some 3,000 years. In fact, they are so ancient that the history of these games is now lost in myth. To celebrate the Games which began in Greece, a museum has come up in Athens. Greece hosted the first games of the modern era in 1896, so the country has been at the heart of their renewal. So the museum has been a long time coming. 

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Due to the ongoing pandemic and after numerous postponements, the museum was finally opened in May with nearly 30 countries as a part of the museum network.

The museum, a member of The Olympic Museums Network, was designed in a minimalist style and&nbspis an excellent blend of displays from the ancient world with modern memorabilia.

The space includes rich interactive audiovisual material and personal items, medals and souvenirs from previous Olympic Games. Several items at the museum were donated by the nation's leading sportspersons, along with historical pieces projecting the movement's modern foundation. Former Olympic sailing champion Sofia Bekatorou was one among the numerous Greek Olympic and Paralympic athletes who donated personal items to the museum. 

Besides the wall-to-wall displays and video screens on the history of the ancient and modern Games, the museum also showcases all the flame relay torches used in the Olympics, beginning with the one Berlin used in 1936.

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The museum also has its own exhibit-inspired official gift shop with mascots, memorabilia, posters, and other products that reflect the history of the Olympics.  

The aim is to convey the philosophy of Olympism and highlight the unique contribution of Greece to the Olympic movement, highlighting Athens as the Olympic capital.

A restaurant &lsquo1896&rsquo offers Greek and Mediterranean cuisine.