Doha: The 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum (QOSM) will participate in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 by organizing an exhibition on Qatar, which will display many valuable collectibles, from 30 July – 25 August, continuing even after the Olympic Games wrap up, only to end shortly before the Paralympic Games commence on August 28.
Regarding Qatar’s participation as part of the Olympic Museums Network (OMN), an International Olympic Committee affiliate, Director of QOSM Abdulla Al Mulla told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that all preparations are set for holding the exhibition on the margin of the Olympic Games, indicating that the Museum possesses over 19,000 artifacts, with some rare and valuable pieces reflecting past Olympic achievements, to be showcased in the exhibition, including Qatar’s first-ever participation in the Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984, in addition to displaying 3,000 items borrowed from international Olympic museums, to highlight QOSM’s debut at the Olympics.
Al Mulla also revealed that th
e exhibition will feature the launch of a book written by the founder of the Olympic Movement Baron Pierre de Coubertin, translated from French and English into Arabic, to be presented in collaboration with the Qatar Olympic Committee and the Qatar Olympic Academy. He added that the launch of this book constitutes a significant addition to the International Olympic Committee’s library, as well as Arab and global libraries, given its comprehensive coverage of Olympic history and legacy.
The book will be launched in a Qatar Olympic Committee-organized reception to take place on August 1st, attended by elite officials from the International Olympic Committee and HE President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, head of the State of Qatar’s delegation participating in the Olympics, Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani.
Moreover, Al Mulla noted the comprehensive nature of the team responsible for organizing the exhibition in a manner befitting the significance of the event, along with a team of guides tasked with explaini
ng the Museum’s exhibits to visitors. The Director of QOSM added that among the notable exhibits are Muhammad Ali’s first championship gloves from the 1960 Rome Olympics, along with the gold medal won by Qatari champion Mutaz Barshim in the high jump at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Qatar’s first gold medal in athletics.
Al Mulla said that the point of the exhibition will be to leave visitors impressed by their experience of QOSM, adding that Qatar enjoys a rich record of participation in international sporting events, is committed to developing robust infrastructure, stadiums, and facilities, and has a prestigious record of hosting various global sporting events, most notably the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which earned it the trust of FIFA and the global sports community.
Al Mulla said that Qatar’s partaking in this exhibition is an embodiment of the slogan that says that the Olympics are a mere dream, highlighting Qatar’s rich record and contributions to the Olympic movement.
Concluding his remarks, the Direc
tor of QOSM hoped that the exhibition would have a large turnout for more people to experience Qatar’s cultural heritage, in keeping with the directives of HE Chairperson of Qatar Museums Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani regarding promoting learning and museum culture to visitors, in keeping with the Qatar National Vision 2030, which sets human capital as the most valuable asset, thus, Qatar prioritizes relying on national cadres, for which it provides them with training and sends them to participate in international exhibitions and events.
Source: Qatar News Agency