Society and Culture: Exhibition "The Immortal Spirit of Antiquity: Marking the 110th Anniversary of the Russian Olympic Committee" to launch in Saint-Petersburg

On March 25, 2021, the exhibition "The Immortal Spirit of Antiquity: Marking the 110th Anniversary of the Russian Olympic Committee" will be launched in the Main Building of the National Library of Russia (Saint-Petersburg).

The exposition features publications of the late XIX - early XX centuries from the collections of the National Library of Russia. They are devoted to the organizers and members of the first Russian Olympic Committee (Vyacheslav Sreznevsky, Georgy Ribopier, Arthur MacPherson). Georges Duperron, who worked in the Public Library from 1907 to 1930, plays a significant role in the development of the Olympic movement and sports journalism in Russia. Thanks to Duperron, the National Library of Russia has a complete collection of sports literature of that time. The exhibition presents both the works by Duperron and several publications about his life.

Among the exhibits are publications devoted to the first Olympic Games and champions. The works on the figure skating theory by Nikolai Panin-Kolomenkin, the first Russian Olympic champion, and publications about him are of particular interest. A significant part of the exposition spotlights the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, where our athletes won only two bronze and two silver medals. The magazines Russkiy Sport, Sport, Niva, K Sportu describe the performances of the Russian team. The exhibition also features books devoted to the All-Russian Olympiads of 1913 and 1914, organized after the unsuccessful performance of Russian athletes in Stockholm.

One of the sections highlights the sports organizations (societies, clubs, circles) in the 1870s – 1920s. Visitors will learn about the statutes, history, principles of creation, rules and games. The exhibition also tells about the Paralympic Games, the Special Olympics for Children and Adults with Mental Disabilities.

The exposition also showcases publications and unique materials from the private archive of Yuri Lukosyak, the famous sports journalist, collector, member of the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.

The Prints Department presents about 50 posters devoted to sports of the turn of the XIX-XX centuries and the entire Soviet period, including rare leaflets of the 1920s - 1930s, typical posters of the 1950s - 1960s and the Olympics-80.

The exhibition will run until April 19.