A majestic opening for the Olympic Museum, a brick in the YOG legacy
Lillehammer, 11 Feb. — The newly opened Olympic Museum in Lillehammer is one brick in the legacy puzzle. A queen and a few presidents made sure the home of Olympic memorabilia got its deserved grand opening.
“In this museum we can see our heroes and we can commemorate them. The effects displayed here serve as storytellers. A museum is a sanctuary,” Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway said while opening the new Olympic Museum at Maihaugen in Lillehammer.
A key objective for the Lillehammer Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (LYOGOC) has been to leave a physical legacy. The new home for Norwegian Olympic history is one example of what they will leave.
The opening was one for the history books in itself, at least if you have the slightest of interest in Olympic history. The concert hall in Maihaugen museum was for one night turned into a patriotic chamber of nostalgia presented through movie clips of Olympic medalists.
The Norwegian Royal family has since the early 1900’s shown a keen interest in sports and maybe specially the Olympic sports. Therefore it was all natural when the queen officially declared the Olympic Museum open, giving the occasion a royal touch.
King Harald of Norway has attended numerous Olympic Games and championships. The Queen herself got inspired in 1952 to try alpine skiing after watching the Winter Olympic Games in Oslo in 1952.
“I was fortunate to see Stein Eriksen when he won the giant slalom-gold in 1952. That was huge for a 14 year old girl. It lit a sparkle of inspiration in me to try alpine skiing,“ the queen said.
After the Olympic Games in 1994 Lillehammer got a new university in the space where during the games was the main press centre and a lot of new arenas that are still used today. The physical legacy from 22 years ago shows how an Olympic host city can benefit from the mega event.
In the Olympic museum they have installed new technology to tell the stories of those who are the heroes of tomorrow’s stars. One of the athletes who has earned his spot in the collection is National hero Bjørn Dæhlie who won eight gold medals and four silver medals for Norway in three Olympic Games.
“The stories in the museum can be important for young persons because they can inspire them to stay in sports,” Dæhlie said.
Norwegians are enthusiastic about their winter sport athletes. The glorious days for the host nation of the 1994 games are well captured in the new museum. Behind the success was Gerhard Heiberg, CEO of the games.
“This museum will be very important for the legacy of the Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games I believe,” Heiberg said.
By Vegard Skorpen, IOC Young Reporter
