MUMBAI: Meant to celebrate India’s contribution to the Games, the much-anticipated session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Mumbai next month will bring Switzerland-based Yasmin Meichtry, associate director of the IOC Olympic Museum, for the first time, in India. The event occurs 40 years after a CIO session was held for the last time in India in Delhi and 30 years after the Olympic MuseumThe original building arose in the lakeside town of Lausanne, Switzerland. Meichtry marks both milestones in an email interview with TOI even as she prepares to visit the NCPA for an exhibition of Olympic films and photographs before the session.
Q: Are you ready to visit India for the first time?
A: This is my first trip to your beautiful country, and I couldn’t be happier that it is for such an important occasion. India’s cultural and sporting heritage is rich and diverse. I look forward to exploring Mumbai, as well as Delhi, and especially visiting leading cultural organizations such as the NCPA for “Olympics in Reel Life-A Festival of Films and Photographs”. A precursor to the IOC Session, this festival, which the NCPA will organize in partnership with the Film Heritage Foundation from October 1-7, offers a rare opportunity to view world-class films and photographs selected from the IOC’s rich heritage collections.
Q: What are the highlights of the festival?
A: From the earliest films of Stockholm 1912 to the most recent official film of Beijing 2022, the extensive film retrospective includes highlights such as the superb cinematography of Arnold Fanck’s first milestone, The White Stadium, and the first color film of London 1948, The Glory of Sports, which marked the beginning of India’s independent Olympic journey. Visitors can also witness India’s many field hockey victories, first shown in the 1936 film Berlin, India’s first parade as an independent nation in the 1948 film London, to the first wrestling medal won by KD Jadhav. in the film Helsinki 1952, the famous 400 m race of Milkha Singh in the Rome 1960 film and the more recent portrait of shooter Heena Sidhu in the London 2012 film. In addition to works by eight internationally renowned photographers, the exhibition will unveil the stunning images of renowned Indian photographer Poulomi Basu, which highlight highlight the positive impact of sports and education on the lives of school children, especially girls, in the state of Odisha.
Q: The films and photos belong to the Olympic Museum in Switzerland, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this year. How do you view his journey?
A: The history of the Olympic Games dates back to its ancient Greek roots, when odes praising the athletic prowess of competitors were written on papyrus. This legacy lives on in the rebirth of the modern Olympic Games and the dream of the French historian Stone coubertin, who has always considered art and sport as inextricably linked. The very first Olympic Museum was born in his parents’ cellar in Paris. Several buildings later, and at the other end of Switzerland, the museum which houses the largest and most complete collection of Olympic heritage in the world was inaugurated in 1993. We have since acquired more than a hundred objects important images, films, books and archival documents. years now, and we like to think Coubertin would be proud of the stories we share.
Q: How has the museum evolved over three decades?
A: The work of a museum is never finished. Today’s Olympic Museum is much more than a sports museum: we invite visitors to discover Olympic objects and objects through the prism of sport, history, art, culture and of the society. We challenge people of all ages and backgrounds to think about how the Olympic movement can inspire change in their own lives. The social and cultural impact of the Games is vast and, through the prism of Olympism, we can help build bridges across disciplines and boundaries.
Q: This shows why we must preserve Olympic heritage. But surely this job has challenges?
A: The responsibility for Olympic heritage is not something we take lightly at the Olympic Museum and the IOC. To preserve the diverse history of so many athletes and sports across Olympic nations and editions, we are embarking on an ambitious digitization project that will allow us to better share the stories and culture of the Games with the world.
Q: Are you ready to visit India for the first time?
A: This is my first trip to your beautiful country, and I couldn’t be happier that it is for such an important occasion. India’s cultural and sporting heritage is rich and diverse. I look forward to exploring Mumbai, as well as Delhi, and especially visiting leading cultural organizations such as the NCPA for “Olympics in Reel Life-A Festival of Films and Photographs”. A precursor to the IOC Session, this festival, which the NCPA will organize in partnership with the Film Heritage Foundation from October 1-7, offers a rare opportunity to view world-class films and photographs selected from the IOC’s rich heritage collections.
Q: What are the highlights of the festival?
A: From the earliest films of Stockholm 1912 to the most recent official film of Beijing 2022, the extensive film retrospective includes highlights such as the superb cinematography of Arnold Fanck’s first milestone, The White Stadium, and the first color film of London 1948, The Glory of Sports, which marked the beginning of India’s independent Olympic journey. Visitors can also witness India’s many field hockey victories, first shown in the 1936 film Berlin, India’s first parade as an independent nation in the 1948 film London, to the first wrestling medal won by KD Jadhav. in the film Helsinki 1952, the famous 400 m race of Milkha Singh in the Rome 1960 film and the more recent portrait of shooter Heena Sidhu in the London 2012 film. In addition to works by eight internationally renowned photographers, the exhibition will unveil the stunning images of renowned Indian photographer Poulomi Basu, which highlight highlight the positive impact of sports and education on the lives of school children, especially girls, in the state of Odisha.
Q: The films and photos belong to the Olympic Museum in Switzerland, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this year. How do you view his journey?
A: The history of the Olympic Games dates back to its ancient Greek roots, when odes praising the athletic prowess of competitors were written on papyrus. This legacy lives on in the rebirth of the modern Olympic Games and the dream of the French historian Stone coubertin, who has always considered art and sport as inextricably linked. The very first Olympic Museum was born in his parents’ cellar in Paris. Several buildings later, and at the other end of Switzerland, the museum which houses the largest and most complete collection of Olympic heritage in the world was inaugurated in 1993. We have since acquired more than a hundred objects important images, films, books and archival documents. years now, and we like to think Coubertin would be proud of the stories we share.
Q: How has the museum evolved over three decades?
A: The work of a museum is never finished. Today’s Olympic Museum is much more than a sports museum: we invite visitors to discover Olympic objects and objects through the prism of sport, history, art, culture and of the society. We challenge people of all ages and backgrounds to think about how the Olympic movement can inspire change in their own lives. The social and cultural impact of the Games is vast and, through the prism of Olympism, we can help build bridges across disciplines and boundaries.
Q: This shows why we must preserve Olympic heritage. But surely this job has challenges?
A: The responsibility for Olympic heritage is not something we take lightly at the Olympic Museum and the IOC. To preserve the diverse history of so many athletes and sports across Olympic nations and editions, we are embarking on an ambitious digitization project that will allow us to better share the stories and culture of the Games with the world.
