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Members of the Olympic Museum’s heritage acquisitions team fan out during the Games to get donations to put on display in Lausanne, Switzerland.
By James Wagner
James Wagner reported from several Olympic venues in Paris and witnessed the donation of a half-dozen items. The headband was indeed sweaty.
Aug. 11, 2024, 3:02 a.m. ET
They met in locker rooms. They met in suites. They met in hallways. The interactions were usually brief.
These weren’t spies or drug test collectors. They are the staff of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. And to collect items that tell the stories of the Paris Games, they needed to be everywhere.
There were 32 sports and 329 medal events crammed into two weeks. Many produced first-time winners or indelible moments. So museum staff members fanned out as history happened to gather mementos: a gymnast’s leotard, a fencer’s saber, a Grand Slam tournament champion’s tennis racket, an opening ceremony outfit.
“It’s like a treasure hunt,” said Anna Volz Got, part of the museum’s heritage acquisitions team.
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Sometimes the treasures are easy to find and the athletes eager to donate. Sometimes it’s harder to track down the right person to ask for a contribution, or persuade a competitor who is not ready to part with a valuable item forever. It’s all about working connections and waiting. But staff members said they don’t twist arms: The donations are always voluntary.
“We want to acquire treasures, but we’re not in ‘Indiana Jones’ mode,” said Yasmin Meichtry, who has led the team since 2015.
English (US) · 