The Olympic Games™: a 3000-year history

Fondazione Luigi Rovati presents The Olympic Games™. A Three-Thousand-Year History, a major exhibition dedicated to the evolution of the Olympic Games from antiquity to the contemporary era, created on the occasion of Milano Cortina 2026. The project is the result of a collaboration with the Olympic Museum and the Musée cantonal d’archéologie et d’histoire in Lausanne, and is curated by Anne-Cécile Jaccard, Patricia Reymond, Giulio Paolucci,and Lionel Pernet.

Structured across five sections between the piano nobile and the underground level, the exhibition brings archaeological artifacts into dialogue with materials from the modern Games, highlighting the continuity of sporting practices, rituals, and values. The exhibition path explores the role of the athlete, physical training, disciplines, ceremonies, and the meaning of victory, revealing how sport, culture, and collective identity are deeply intertwined.

Key highlights include the comparison between ancient objects and modern memorabilia, the history of the Olympic torch as a symbol of ritual continuity, and an extensive section devoted to sporting disciplines—from ancient Greek competitions to contemporary champions. In the underground level, victory is examined as a symbolic and cultural phenomenon, from olive wreaths and Panathenaic amphorae to modern medals conceived as works of art. The exhibition concludes with a photographic timeline spanning more than three millennia of Olympic history.

The exhibition features exceptional loans from major Italian and international institutions, including the Tomb of the Olympics in Tarquinia, memorabilia from renowned athletes, and materials from the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, many of which are being shown in Italy for the first time. Special attention is given to themes of inclusion, accessibility, and the promotion of Olympic values such as excellence, respect, and friendship.