Today, as part of Qatar’s contribution to Paris 2024, Qatar Museums and 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum opened Olympism: More Than a Dream Exhibition, recording 40 years of Qatar’s participation in the Olympics since 1984. This exhibition will be on view from 31 July to 25 August at Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris Hotel in Paris, France.
The opening of the exhibition was attended by His Excellency Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al-Thani, the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the French Republic, His Excellency Mr. Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain, President of the Qatar Football Association, Dr. Thani bin Abdulrahman Al Kuwari, Vice President of Qatar Olympic Committee and Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), Vice President for West Asia, Mr. Abdulla Yousuf Al Mulla, 321 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum Director, Yasmin Meichtry, Associate Director at Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage - Olympic Museum - IOC, as well as Alexandra de Navacelle de Coubertin, President, Pierre de Coubertin Family Association and other prominent guests.
In the elegant surroundings of the Raffles art gallery, the exhibition is divided into 3 parts:
- The first part is a tribute to Pierre de Coubertin, Founder of the Modern Olympics, and celebrates Qatar’s gift of the first translation of Coubertin’s Selected Writings into Arabic for the first time. The exhibition features iconic Olympic objects from the Museum’s collection, from Muhammad Ali’s left boxing glove from Rome 1960, hand-inscribed by the most charismatic of athletes, detailing his victories, to a rare Innsbruck 1964 Olympic torch used on the first occasion that the Olympic flame for a Winter Games was lit in Olympia, Greece birthplace of the Ancient Olympic Games.
- The second part highlights key milestones in Qatar’s progress as an Olympic nation, from its first participation at Los Angeles 1984 to Tokyo 2020. Foregrounding Qatar’s continuous involvement in each subsequent Summer Olympic Games and Paralympics—featuring milestone moments, memorabilia and medals from Qatar’s first medal in 1992 to one of the two Tokyo 2020 Golds—the exhibition shines a light on how the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship have been articulated in Qatar and across the MENA region. On display is the bronze won by Qatar athlete Mohammed Suleiman in the 1500m at Barcelona, the first medal in the history of the Olympic Games to be won by a Gulf Country. The gold medal won by the ‘Qatari Falcon’ Mutaz Barshim at Tokyo 2020 is one of the highlights of the exhibition. In the high jump final, Qatar’s Barshim and Italy’s Tamberi both cleared a height of 2.37m but did not progress. In one of the most heart-warming moments in Olympic history, Barshim then made history by suggesting that the pair share the gold. This rare instance of athletes of different nations agreeing to share the same medal is a shining example of Olympic values of Excellence, Respect and Friendship.
- The third and final part explores Qatar’s emergence as a global sporting leader and host, and its aspirations to host the Olympic Games in the future. Building on its long and successful track record as international sport host, Qatar now wishes to progress its Olympic dream.
The exhibition is curated by Susan Hayward FMA, Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs at 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic & Sports Museum and led by Museum’s Director, Abdulla Al Mulla, and the 3-2-1 team.
The opening of the exhibition was attended by His Excellency Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al-Thani, the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the French Republic, His Excellency Mr. Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain, President of the Qatar Football Association, Yasmin Meichtry, Associate Director at Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage - Olympic Museum - IOC as well as Alexandra de Navacelle de Coubertin, President, Pierre de Coubertin Family Association and other prominent guests.
Just after the opening of the exhibition, as a part of Team Qatar Reception by Qatar Olympic Committee held in Paris during the Games, Qatar Museums will for the first time present Pierre De Coubertin: Textes Choisis, Volume 1, the first translation from French into Arabic of selected writings by Pierre de Coubertin, the father of the modern Olympic Games. The book will become available to public through In-Q’s website and Qatar Museums’ gift shops. The publication, which draws on his voluminous archive of writings (totaling some 500,000 words) collects some of Coubertin’s most important essays on the power of sport to bring people together. With the Summer Olympic Games opening in Paris, it serves as an introduction to Arabic-reading audiences of the values that undergird the modern Olympic movement.
###
Notes for Editors:
Exhibition:Olympism: More Than a Dream
Le Royal Monceau – Raffles Paris
31 July until 25 August 2024
10am-6pm
Free
Book Launch: the Arabic translation of “Textes Choisis” by Baron Pierre De Coubertin, hosted by Qatar Olympic Committee
360 QAR / 90 Euros
In-Q’s website and Qatar Museums’ gift shops
Qatar Museums (QM), the nation’s preeminent institution for art and culture, provides authentic and inspiring cultural experiences through a growing network of museums, heritage sites, festivals, public art installations, and programmes. QM preserves and expands the nation’s cultural offerings, sharing art and culture from Qatar, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (MENASA) with the world and enriching the lives of citizens, residents, and visitors.
Under the patronage of His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and led by its Chairperson, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, QM has made Qatar a vibrant centre for the arts, culture, and education in the Middle East and beyond. QM is integral to the goal of developing an innovative, diverse, and progressive nation, bringing people together to ignite new thinking, spark critical cultural conversations, and amplify the voices of Qatar’s people. Since its founding in 2005, QM has overseen the development of museums and festivals including the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) and MIA Park, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ), 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, QM Gallery Al Riwaq, QM Gallery Katara, the Tasweer Qatar Photo Festival, and Design Doha. Future projects include Dadu: Children’s Museum of Qatar, Art Mill Museum, Qatar Auto Museum and the Lusail Museum.
Through its newly created Creative Hub, QM also initiates and supports projects—such as the Fire Station Artist in Residence, the Tasweer Qatar Photo Festival, M7, the creative hub for innovation, fashion and design, and Liwan Design Studios and Labs—that nurture artistic talent and create opportunities to build a strong and sustainable cultural infrastructure.
Animating everything that Qatar Museums does is an authentic connection to Qatar and its heritage, a steadfast commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, and a belief in creating value through invention.
About 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum
The 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum is Qatar's Museum of sports history, offering an unforgettable and inspiring interactive journey through the history and legacy of sports and the Olympic Games. The Museum delivers a multi-layered educational narrative that combines a comprehensive collection with state-of-the-art technology and documents the significance of sports in Qatar. One of the largest Olympic Museums in the world, 3-2-1, comprises 19,000 square metres of gallery space housing hundreds of objects from around the globe, from the origins of sports to the modern day. Through its participatory spaces and planned programming, the Museum aims to inspire and engage its community and encourage the public to participate in sports and physical activity. The Museum is located at Khalifa International Stadium, part of Qatar's Aspire Zone Foundation. The Stadium, originally built in 1976, hosted the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Hanan Saif
hsaif@qm.org.qa
+974 4402 8543
Malak Latrous
mlaroussi@qm.org.qa
+974 3011 2559