Journey back in time

Exhibition Of Olympic memorabilia that celebrates the glory of the games

Olympic Artefacts exhibition at British Council Photo: R. Ravindran

On Friday, the Association of British Scholars, Chennai opened an exhibition of ‘Olympic Artefacts’ as a curtain-raiser to the upcoming London 2012 Olympics. The event was held at the British council on Anna Salai. Mike Nithavrianakis, the British Deputy High Commissioner, South India inaugurated it.

Also present at the event were P.M. Beliappa, mentor Association of British Scholars, who compered the event and Pradipta K. Mohapatra, chairman of the Executive and Business Coaching Foundation India.

Mohapatra enlightened the audience with a talk on the ‘History of Olympic Timekeeping’. “Omega is back as the official timekeeper of the Olympics this year. They were the pioneers who introduced the chronograph technology in 1932, which allowed time to be measured with the accuracy of up to one hundredth of a second.”

This is the first time wherein women from every nation are participating and the first time a Saudi Arabian woman is participating.

The exhibit showcases various timepieces from the official timekeepers of the Olympics. There were many commemorative timepieces by Swatch on display from the Beijing 2008 Olympics with Chinese motifs in bright colours that celebrated the theme for the games. Many medallions and coins released in the host countries have also been displayed. Some of the highlights of the exhibit include a United States commemorative medallion from the Salt Lake City Winter 2002 Olympics, a prized £5 coin commemorating London 2012 and 50 pence coins and medallions for achievements in equestrian, sailing, fencing and canoeing. There were pieces from the games conducted in Athens 2004, Canada 1976 and Atlanta 1996. Postcards commemorating the Olympics are also put up. The change in the style of the graphics on these postcards shows us aesthetics of various regions during different times. The modern postcards of London 2012 feature neon linear graphics that showcase the vibrant and lively city that London is today. The exhibit is a personal collection of memorabilia belonging to Pradipta K. Mohapatra.