On our second full day in Switzerland, the class ventured over to the Olympic Museum or "Le Musée Olympique" as the sign said in the exquisite fountain at the base of the hill. As you walk up the steps to the entrance, the athlete who lit the cauldron for each Olympic ceremony is carved into the steps. The lawn is covered in statues depicting the different sports featured in the Olympic Games. The true spirit of Olympism is felt even before entering the museum.
Once we got inside, a tour guide met us and told us that we had actually missed our tour, which was supposed to be at 9am. It was 10am. Instead, she walked us through the entire museum, giving more of an overview than anything in depth. There are 3 levels, each with their own theme representing an ideal of the IOC. The top floor is all about the history of the games and general information about the bidding process and the opening ceremonies. The second floor is centered on the athletes and memorabilia, such as clothes and equipment from previous Olympic games. The bottom floor is for the legacy of the games, including information about the Olympic Village, athlete nutrition, doping, and other interactive activities.
When we were able to go back and explore at our own pace, we started at the beginning: The Ancient Games. Professor Ryan explained a lot about Ancient Olympia, where we would be visiting later in the trip. We saw a video mirage of the Temple of Zeus with information about the games displayed on the side. P Ry talked about how people would go and pray there before they competed. There was also an arch mimicking the one in Olympia that athletes would have to walk through to enter the first Olympic stadium. Something I found interesting was the prevalence of olive oil in Ancient Greece. Professor Ryan told us that the winner of each event was given an urn of the finest olive oil. You were pretty much set for life after that because olive oil was not just used for cooking, but also for lamps. Athletes would also rub themselves in olive oil and then dust before competing. They would then scrap it off, put it in a jar, and sell it. People would high price for the sweat of an athlete just like how people go crazy for a towel used by a celebrity now. In addition, I learned the true use of a toga. They were designed with one breast exposed because events were for males only, so this was an easy way to detect if there were any women.
After the portion on Ancient Greece, there is information on the life and work of Pierre de Coubertin. He is known for reestablishing the modern Olympic Games as we know it today. An interesting fact I learned was that Pierre de Coubertin won an Olympic Medal for an artistic poem, back when medals were given for the arts.
Moving along, there was a ring of all the Olympic torches since 1936, when this tradition began. There was a timeline of the Olympic games all the way through 2022 since the location, Beijing, was already selected. Some highlights from the timeline included:
- 1900 (The Second Modern Olympics)- The first time the games involved women
- 1940 and 1944- There were no Olympic Games
- 1925- The first Winter Olympic Games
- 1992- The last year the Summer and Winter Games were held in the same year
They also had an interactive timeline that explained more information about each Olympics. One year in particular stood out to me, the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Hitler introduced this idea of pageantry in the Games, especially with the opening ceremonies still seen today. As mentioned, this was the first year of the torch lighting, but it was also the first Olympic games to be broadcasted. Half a million people attended to see the new Germany created under the Third Reich. The video also highlighted Jesse Owens, a black athlete who won multiple medals in spite of Hitler's push for his perfect race.
The rest of the top floor feature examples of recent stadiums, plush stuffed animal versions of the mascots for all the games, and information about the history of broadcasting the games. There were also rotating cubes that explained the timeline of becoming a host city, but since we already listened to a lot about this in France, I skipped it. The last part was a video and costumes from the Opening Ceremonies. My research paper is about the Opening Ceremonies, so this area was of particular interest to me. There was a costume from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which I found out featured exactly 2,008 drummers. I thought that was really special. The video compilation of many opening ceremonies and the various aspects of them gave me the chills. From the unique performances to the torch lighting and the proclamation opening the games in many different languages, the video optimized the opening ceremonies. The rich history of how we have achieved the Olympic Games we see today is apparent as a strong value of the IOC.
On the second floor, there was notable memorable from Winter and Summer games throughout history. I loved seeing Usain Bolt's shoes and Jim Craig's pads, the goalie from the Miracle on Ice US Hockey team. There was an interactive board, so you can see what sports were featured in which games. It was interesting that before the Winter Olympics were a thing, ice hockey was actually featured in one of the Summer Olympics. The last attraction on this floor was a video about an athlete's mental state before, during, and after an event. As a lacrosse player, I can relate to be under a lot of pressure in big events, but nothing compares to the Olympic Games.
On the bottom floor, there was an Olympic Truce from the London Games. Professor Ryan explained how in the Ancient Games, a truce was signed so that athletes could pass through other city-states peacefully even if they were at war. Now, the truce is still a symbol of peace, but it doesn't have as much importance. There were facts about the various aspects of an Olympic village, information on doping, and an interactive game about nutrition. I would not have guess that you actually should not eat that much meat. I thought protein was a good thing, but I guess red meat is not the answer. This aspect of legacy following the games is a much newer ideal from the games. The impact on the athletes and the countries after the games are over has become much more pertinent over the years. It will be fascinating to see how the games in the future implement this into their planning.
Before exiting, we were able to see the ring of medals. The podium used during the medal ceremony was introduced in 1932 in Lake Placid, even though medals have been given out since 1896. In 1928, the medals became standardized to one design featuring Nike, the goddess of victory, as pictured on the 1932 medals from the Los Angeles Olympics. Then in 2004, when the games returned to Athens, the design changed to feature Nike in front of an Ancient stadium. Interestingly enough, the Winter medals do not have design constraints.
After the museum, the group minus the professors went to a local pool. It had some pretty cool diving boards, but only Jack and I went off them. There were also beach volleyball courts. Shoutout to my teammates, Elijah, Candace, and Steph on beating Tom, Staci, Christina, and Emily in both games. At night, we all went out for the group dinner to a restaurant called Les Brasseurs. A majority of the group got these delicious short ribs. Personally, I got a steak and it was very different than American steak. The group dinner really capped off one of the more memorable days of the trip!
