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SPORT X MANGA exhibit at the Olympic Museum
Mar 18, 2021 - Nov 23, 2021
Paying tribute to the TOKYO 2020 Olympic Games as well as Japanese pop culture, the Olympic Museum in Lausanne now offers various special exhibits and events.
SPORT X MANGA exhibit
With manga being an integral part of Japanese culture, it only makes sense that the museum went on to highlight its role in sports. A curious fact: the hosting of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo was already mentioned in the 1980s in the science fiction manga Akira by Otomo Katsuhiro!
As part of the SPORT X MANGA exhibit, we get to learn all about Japan and how manga has influenced its relationship with sport.
Among many other titles, the museum dedicates space to popular mangas such as Captain Tsubasa (a professional soccer player), or SLAM DUNK (a basketball player). For those who are clueless about manga, there is an aptly named "Manga for Dummies" section...
Through November 23, there will a series of activities at the museum and online. In Lausanne, expect to see interactive displays and elements that demonstrate how fiction and the importance of sports in Japanese society often intersect.
Hence, SPORT X MANGA was born, an exhibit free of charge to the public.
Celebrating TOKYO 2020 online and at the museum
The entire museum exhibit has been designed in the colors of TOKYO 2020. Just take the museum gardens which now feature a series of gates similar to the torii leading up to Shinto shrines. Once inside, you will be greeted by the cuddly mascots of this year's games.
A separate exhibit is dedicated entirely to this historic edition of the Olympic Games. For one, it highlights the venues where the Games will be held this summer. The new National Stadium in Tokyo is available as a miniature model. And finally, an AR app allows you to seemingly enter the stadium as an athlete would.
But the exhibit also presents the five sports making their debut at the Olympics, such as skateboarding, surfing, sports climbing, or karate.
The opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games, as well as all the competitions, will be broadcast live at the museum. Live performances, broadcasts, or cultural workshops for families will round up all the ways we get to explore Japanese culture.
All photographs copyright Comité International Olympique (CIO) / Catherine Leutenegger
