A groundbreaking exhibition with some of the pieces from the collection of the IOC Archives and Olympic Museum brings to the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, for the first time, around 300 pieces that are part of the history of the Olympic Games in the Modern Era. The uniform of Olympic champions Roger Federer, the toe shoes of Adhemar Ferreira da Silva, the sneakers of Michael Jordan, the gloves of “Sugar” Ray Leonard, the swimwear of Cesar Cielo are some of the showcased items.

The first event of the Brazilian Olympic Committee (BOC) aimed at preparing the Brazilian public for Rio 2016™, the “Olympic Games: Sport, Culture and Art” exhibition will be held at FIESP, in São Paulo, from 15 April to 30 June. The National History Museum will receive the collection in Rio de Janeiro, between August and November.

“As the host country of the next edition of the Olympic Games, it is our responsibility to contribute to the Olympic education of the Brazilian people, a task that goes far beyond knowing the rules of the 28 disciplines that compose the Olympic programme”, said Carlos Arthur Nuzman,
the president of the BOC and Organising Committee for the Rio 2016™ Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The exhibition will be divided into eight modules - Ancient Games, Coubertin’s Dream, Lightening up the Torch, Ceremonies, Sport and medals, Mascots, Memorabilia and Time Brasil. Some of the pieces to be showcased are the copy of the speech made by Baron de Coubertin containing the recreation proposal of the Olympic Games in 1892.

A major piece to divulge the Olympic Games far before the creation of TV and Internet, the posters of each edition of the event present special highlights at the exhibition. Each poster reflects the historic and artistic moment experienced at that time. For the years in which the Games were not staged due to war, the exhibition will leave a symbolic void where the posters would be originally displayed. If the Olympic Games represent life, piece and the union of people of all nations, war will be represented by the absence of meaning.

In addition, the exhibition “Olympic Games: Sport, Culture and Art” will feature the Games and interactive pieces such as, for example, a space for visitors to take pictures with the Torch of the London 2012 Olympic Games or with Misha, Moscow 1980’s mascot. The public will also have access to a movie theatre where videos from the IOC archive will be shown.

The exhibition is an invitation to look through the history, heritage, dreams, challenges and values that helped the Olympic Games to break through the barriers of sport. 

Visitor will be able to see the Olympic Games gold, silver and bronze original medals from the first edition in 1896 (Bruno Veiga/Acervo COB)

IOC Archives and Olympic Museum

Founded on 23 June 1993 by the former president of the International Olympic Committee (COI), Juan Antonio Samaranch, the IOC Archives and Olympic Museum is located in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Museum has an archive with more than 10 thousand items related to the Olympic Movement, such as documents, pictures, medals and uniforms. Since January 2012, the building is undergoing modernization works. It should be reopened before the end of 2013.

As the world’s main Olympic Games archive and one of the most famous touristic points in Switzerland, the museum receives more than 250,000 people a year. After the exhibition in Rio and São Paulo, the items should be returned to Lausanne.

Some of the exhibition items

- Uniform of tennis player Roger Federer (SWI), Olympic Champion in Beijing 2008;
- Trainers of the American basketball player Michael Jordan, Olympic champion in Barcelona 1992.
- Transcript of the speech from Baron du Coubertin about the proposal for recreation of the Modern Olympic Games presented in Sorbonne, Paris, in 1892.
- Prize medals, torches, mascots.
- Swimsuit of Brazilian swimmer and Olympic champion Cesar Cielo, used in Beijing 2008.
- Footwear and medal of Adhemar Ferreira da Silva, two times Olympic champion in Helsinki 1952 and Melbourne 1956.
- Clothing of singer Marisa Monte at the closing ceremony of London 2012.
- Signed glove of American pugilist “Sugar” Ray Leonard, gold medalist of the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games, and world champion in five different categories.
- Pistol of Guilherme Paraense – firearm used for winning the first gold medal in Brazilian history, on the single fast shot modality during the Antwerp 1920 Olympic Games.
- Replica of the peach basket which James Naismith, an American born Canadian teacher, used for inventing basketball, in 1891.