1. Press Release
Qatar Museums Authority and international partners
announce new exhibition on history of the Olympics
Partners from Germany and Greece include: Greek Ministry of Culture,
Martin-Groupis-Bau in Berlin, Hellenic Foundation for Culture in Berlin and
the German Archaeological Institute
QMA to curate the section on modern Olympic Games
Berlin, 14 February, 2012: A new partnership between QMA and several culture
institutes in Greece and Germany has been announced in Berlin to commence
preparations for a comprehensive exhibition on the history of the Olympics from ancient
to modern times. The exhibition titled “Olympia: Myth – Cult – Games” will make its first
in Berlin at Martin-Gropius-Bau (31 August 2012 – 7 January 2013) then will be shown
in Doha at Al Riwaq in spring 2013 before finally appearing at the National
Archaeological Museum in Athens in autumn 2013.
On the occasion of announcing “Olympia: Myth – Cult – Games”, His Excellency
Ambassador Abdul Rahman Bin Mohammad Al Khulaifi, Ambassador of Qatar in Berlin
stated: “In Qatar, we have been embarking on an active programme to promote
education, culture and sports and this exhibition overlaps with all these areas. Co-
organizing this exhibition with our reputable partners is an excellent learning and
cultural exchange opportunity for Qatar.”
The first section of the exhibition, which is devoted to the sanctuary of Olympia, the
ancient Olympic Games (776 BC – 393 AD) and the history of excavations will be
handled by QMA partners and will show over 600 objects. QMA will organize the
second section of the exhibition which covers the history of the modern Olympic Games
from Athens 1896 to today. Dr Christian Wacker, director of the sports museum under
the umbrella of QMA will be leading research and curatorial work for this part of the
exhibition.
Curatorial teams from all partners have started research and the preparations for the
exhibition in Berlin later this year are underway. Distinct from previous exhibitions on

2. ancient Olympia, this exhibition will present a great number of outstanding original
objects from the collections of Greek and German museums. Furthermore, the
exhibition will unveil many new objects that have been discovered only in the past 60
years that have never been shown in public.
As for the modern Olympic Games section, it will trace the history of the Olympic
Games from their re-invention in the 19th century to present. There will be six thematic
chapters as follows:
- Overview of development of the Olympic Games
- Socio-cultural aspects of the Games: showcases Olympic ideals
- 1936 Berlin Games
- 2004 Athens Games
- Establishment of modern Olympic Games
- A glance on early modern versions of Olympic Games before 1896
-ends-
For further media information please contact Omar Chaikhouni, Public Relations
Manager at Qatar Museums Authority at 44224608.
About Qatar Museums Authority
Established in 2005 by His Highness the Emir, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani to
combine the resources of all museums in the State of Qatar, Qatar Museums Authority
(QMA) is a governmental organization whose remit is to develop museums and cultural
institutions and provide an effective system for collecting, protecting, preserving and
interpreting historic sites, monuments and artifacts. Under the leadership of its
Chairperson H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa, QMA is transforming the State of Qatar into a
cultural hub of the Middle East. The Museum of Islamic Art, inaugurated in 2008, is the
Authority’s flagship project. The organization won further global acclaim with the
December 2010 opening of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art. QMA’s goal of
becoming a “global leader in the world of museums, art and heritage” will be advanced
in the coming years with ambitious, world-class projects, including the Jean Nouvel-
designed National Museum of Qatar. For further information, please visit
www.qma.org.qa.