Beijing Olympic Museum Becomes Newest Member of the Olympic Museums Network

International Olympic Committee news

The Beijing Olympic Museum (BJOM), which commemorates both the Olympic Summer Games 2008 and the Olympic Winter Games 2022, has joined the global Olympic Museums Network (OMN) as its 33rd member. Located inside the “Bird’s Nest” (National Stadium), the BJOM boasts 34,500 square metres of multi-media exhibits and displays that transport visitors into the history, sporting culture and Olympic legacy of Beijing.

The BJOM was elected to the OMN, headquartered in Switzerland, during the latter’s 17th General Assembly, held at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne in late 2022. During the General Assembly, BJOM Director Hou Ming presented the BJOM’s objectives and plans to the 56 representatives of 32 Olympic Museums from 22 countries. “Established in 2009, the Beijing Olympic Museum never stopped collecting artefacts and creating educational programmes to reach local populations and share the Olympic values,” he said. “We are now refurbishing our Museum to enhance the visitor experience and give the best exposure to our collections.”

Since 2014, the BJOM has run a series of community-based programmes and workshops for the local public to promote Olympic culture and Olympic education among young people, in addition to presenting its collections of torches, medals, uniforms, equipment and other heritage items through the permanent exhibition “One World, One Dream”.

The Museum welcomes about 200,000 students each year, and its educational activities are divided into four categories: guided tours, special events, information campaigns and exhibition tours. By making full use of the legacy left by the two editions of the Olympic Games held in the city, the BJOM hopes to introduce the Olympic Movement to more people and encourage the general public, especially teenagers, to actively participate in sport.

Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage (OFCH) Director and OMN Chair Angelita Teo said: “The Beijing Olympic Museum is a great addition to an already dynamic network, and this further enhances our commitment to reach more people to spread the Olympic ideals. Based in a host city of both the Olympic Summer and Winter Games, they are uniquely placed to advocate the Olympic spirit and inherit the legacy of the Beijing 2008 and Beijing 2022 Games.”

The OMN was founded in 2006 at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, and is now a 33-member multi-national network that creates a unique, integrated platform to promote Olympism, the values of sport and the Olympic Games. The members of the network share best practices, co-develop meaningful programmes, and cooperate on common issues to improve efficiencies related to the acquisition, curation, conservation and restoration of Olympic heritage items.