Permanent Olympic Games broadcasting exhibition opens in Madrid
From radio to television to virtual reality, ‘The Olympic Games: Behind the Screen’ exhibition provides a living history of how modern media conveys the Olympic values around the world.
This exhibition was inaugurated at a special event last week at its new, permanent home at the headquarters of Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and the Olympic Channel in Madrid.
IOC vice president Juan Antonio Samaranch was joined by Alejandro Blanco, president of the Spanish Olympic Committee; Jose Perurena, IOC member and president of the International Canoe Federation and The World Games; Marisol Casado, IOC member and president of the International Triathlon Union; Antonio Espinos, president of the World Karate Federation; Francis Gabet, director of the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage; Olympic broadcasting pioneer Manolo Romero, and Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of OBS and executive director of the Olympic Channel to officially open the exhibition.
‘The Olympic Games: Behind the Screen’ is an exploration of the history of broadcasting the Games and the evolution of broadcasting technologies on radio and television, as well as looking at how they will be experienced in the future. Using innovative interactive devices, the exhibition provides an unrivalled adventure at the point where human and technical performance meet.
Through the exhibition, visitors will experience how the sounds and images generated by the Olympic Games help shape and deepen the collective memory of the Olympic Movement, therefore constituting an important archive, which belongs to every individual who has been moved by an athlete, a story or a moment of the Games.
Starting in 2019, the exhibition will be open to local schools, community groups and sports organisations as well as international visitors on an appointment basis in efforts to inform, educate and promote the Olympic Values all year round.
“With OBS and the Olympic Channel both located in Madrid, Spain is the epicentre of Olympic broadcasting,” said Alejandro Blanco. “With this commitment, it is very fitting for ‘The Olympic Games: Behind the Screen’ to have a permanent presence here allowing for those in Spain, as well as around the world, to learn about the Olympic Movement through this exhibition.”
Following its original run as a temporary exhibit at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, OBS and the Olympic Channel felt that such a notable collection of equipment, images and information deserved a permanent home.