Rio de Janeiro is now closer to the Olympic Games. The 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games host city receives, at the Museu Histórico Nacional (National History Museum in Portuguese), in the city centre, the interactive exhibition “Olympic Games: Sport, Culture and Art”. The exhibition gathers 300 historical items that marked the path of the Games in the Modern Era – such as original medals, torches, mascots and uniforms – that are part of the collection of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. Admission is free and the exhibition will be open to the public until 1 December.

Organised by the Brazilian Olympic Committee (BOC), the exhibition, which has been held in São Paulo in the first half of the year, serves as a warm up to the Rio 2016 Games. And it will introduce the Olympic Games values to Cariocas:

“As the host country of the next edition of the Olympic Games, it is our responsibility to contribute to the process of Olympic education of the Brazilian people, a task that goes far beyond knowing the rules of the 28 sports that compose the Olympic programme”, said the President of the Rio 2016 Committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman.

During the visit, the public will experience holding the torch of the London 2012 Olympic Games – with Tower Bridge in the background –, taking pictures with Mischa, the famous Moscow 1980 mascot, and participating in a long jump simulation. There will also be a screening room where videos from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) collection will be shown. The public will also be able to see the uniform of Roger Federer,  the footwear of Adhemar Ferreira da Silva, the trainers of Michael Jordan, the gloves of "Sugar" Ray Leonard and the swimsuit of Cesar Cielo – all Olympic champions – among other items that were immortalised by the athletes. Part of the collection belongs to the IOC and another part to the BOC.

“Bringing items that represent important moments in modern history to Rio de Janeiro is a great honour to us all. During the competition, the world celebrates humanity through mutual respect, friendship between peoples and the continuous search for excellence”, says Christiane Paquelet, BOC Cultural Director.

The exhibition – a true invitation to immerse oneself in the history, dreams, values and challenges that contributed for the Olympic Games to break the boundaries of sport – is divided into nine modules: Ancient Games, Coubertin’s Dream, Igniting the Torch, Ceremonies, Sport and Medals, Mascots, Rio 2016, Memorabilia and Time Brasil, connecting history, excitement, knowledge, education and culture.

Check out 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-time 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 medallist in 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 event during the Antwerp 1920 Olympic Games

- Replica of the peach basket which James Naismith, a Canadian-born American sports coach, used for inventing Basketball, in 1891

Service

Venue: Museu Histórico Nacional

Address: Praça Marechal Âncora S/Nº, Centro - Rio de Janeiro (Close to Praça XV)

Dates: 13 September - 1 December 2013

Opening Times: Tuesday – Friday, 10h00 – 17h30/  Saturday – Sunday and Holidays, 14h00 – 18h00 /  Closed on Mondays

Admission: Free entry