Greece will send more than 100 ancient Olympia artefacts to Australia for a major exhibition during the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, marking one of the country’s most significant international cultural loans.
The collection, organised in collaboration with the Hellenic Republic, will showcase the origins of the ancient Olympic Games and their connection to Greek religion, warfare and sporting culture over more than 1,000 years.
Olympic historian David M. Pritchard said the loan will include twice as many artefacts as those displayed during the Sydney 2000 Olympics, with many sourced directly from Olympia.
The exhibition is expected to feature ancient sporting equipment, statues of Olympic victors, military trophies, depictions of boxing and chariot racing, and artefacts linked to the Temple of Zeus and sculptor Pheidias, creator of the famed statue of Zeus at Olympia.
It will also examine the role of women in ancient Greek sport, including Spartan princess Kyniska, recognised as the first female Olympic victor after winning a chariot race in the 390s BC.
Pritchard said the Brisbane Olympics Exhibition is projected to attract around 750,000 visitors and would become “the most significant exhibition on the Olympics ever staged outside Greece.”
The University of Queensland academic, who previously worked on the Sydney 2000 Olympic cultural program, is helping develop the exhibition alongside Greek and Australian stakeholders ahead of the Brisbane Games.
Source: Ekathimerini.
