Olympic Tokyo

The exhibition Olympic, which can be seen in the Historical Building of the National Museum, was prepared by the National Museum together with the Czech Olympic Committee and the Military Historical Institute on the occasion of this year's Olympic Games. It focuses mainly on the three Tokyo Games – the ones that did not take place in 1940, the ones that were held in 1964 and the Games of the XXXII Olympiad that were (for the first time in history) postponed and that will take place in the summer of 2021. Thus, Tokyo, Japan, will become the fifth city in the history so far to have hosted the Olympic Games for the second time.

At the exhibition, you will learn, among other things, about the history of sports equipment. You will see the gymnastic equipment from the late 1930s as well as from the present. You will be able to compare the bike of the track cyclist and 1964 gold medallist Jiří Daler with today's high-end model. You will also see parts of the original octuple scull from 1964, contemporary sportswear and personal belongings of the participants of the Games. The exhibition also features the medals of Czechoslovak and Czech Olympians, including the gold one won by cyclist Jiří Daler, as well as three original kimonos are displayed, which were given to Věra Čáslavská by japanese fans and the family of the Japanese Emperor.

Czechoslovak sportsmen were captured on many photographs by Karel Novák in 1964, many of which have not yet been published. He took pictures of their athletic performances, but also of everyday life in Tokyo, the atmosphere of the Olympic Village as well as the arrival of our sportsmen. His photographs are also part of the exhibition. There will also be a screening of the official film of the International Olympic Committee from that time. Czech Television also lent part of its archive footage.

You can also see the athletes’ accreditations, the original plan of the Olympic Village with the location of individual national teams and other official documents. Cameras and one video camera of that time are also on display.