From Lausanne to Canberra, a new wave of Olympic sports rides into the National Museum of Australia
The youth-focused sports and disciplines of 3x3 basketball, BMX freestyle, breaking, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing feature in a new exhibition co-produced by the Olympic Museum and the National Museum of Australia in Canberra.
Riding the Olympic Wave: Breakthrough Sports, which opened on 31 May, showcases these emerging Olympic sports and disciplines by comparing the differences between Paris 2024 and Sydney 2000. In a first for the Olympics Games, Paris 2024 will feature breaking, while 3x3 basketball, BMX freestyle, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing will all be back after debuting at Tokyo 2020.
The featured sports all evolved out of youth culture, and have developed their own unique environments of art, fashion, film and design. Riding the Olympic Wave investigates the dramatic arrival of these new disciplines and how their inclusion has led to the biggest transformation of the Olympic Movement in recent times.
National Museum Director Katherine McMahon commended the exhibition for appealing to new audiences.
“The National Museum of Australia is known for exploring and sharing stories of amazing people and for bringing stories of Australian achievement alive. I believe there is no better way to bring our Olympic stories alive and celebrate our sporting successes than through this inspiring exhibition,” she said.
This dynamic exhibition explores how youth sports culture has transformed the Olympics for a new generation – we’re so pleased to bring this story alive by bringing this show to Australian audiences.
The exhibition was inspired by the Olympic Museum’s most successful temporary exhibition to date: Riding the Olympic Wave (2022-2023). An additional adaption, entitled SPOT24 – the Olympic Exhibition on Sport and Urban Cultures, was co-produced by the Olympic Museum and the Paris tourism office, Paris je t’aime. SPOT24 opened in Paris on 3 April, and the exhibition will be presented until 31 December 2024.
It is wonderful to see this exhibition tailored for an Australian audience, creating opportunities for dialogue and conversation ahead of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and building excitement and anticipation for Brisbane 2032.
The Riding the Olympic Wave exhibition explores Australia’s century-long relationship with the Olympic Games and showcases the six sports and disciplines, while the exhibition design and programming highlight the social, cultural and artistic settings in which they flourish.
Sometimes described as urban sports or even extreme sports, these youth-focused disciplines spontaneously broke away from traditional sports practices and spread internationally in the 1960s and 70s.
The common denominator between these sports is a grassroots evolution that took place as a result of young people developing their own modes of play, creativity and competition within their communities. Their philosophy and lifestyle are often starkly different from those of other sports.
National Museum Curator Jono Lineen praised the innovative and contemporary elements of the exhibition.
“Riding the Olympic Wave is a great way for the National Museum to highlight not just these incredible new sports but the art, music, fashion and film that have evolved around them. Street art, poster art, music-style video production, fashion, street performance and contemporary music are all elements that have been incorporated into the exhibition design and programming of the exhibition,” he said.
This is the first but definitely not the last exhibition that the National Museum will develop that taps into the essence of youth culture. Museums help us make sense of the past, but understanding history helps us adapt to the future.
“This is the first but definitely not the last exhibition that the National Museum will develop that taps into the essence of youth culture. Museums help us make sense of the past, but understanding history helps us adapt to the future,” he added.
Exhibition highlights
- Signed shirt worn by BMX freestyle Olympic champion Logan Martin, Australia, during Tokyo 2020;
- Signed rashie worn by Olympic bronze medallist Owen Wright, Australia, during Tokyo 2020;
- Pair of 3x3 basketball shoes worn by Olympic champion Nauris Miezis, Latvia, during Tokyo 2020;
- Skateboard deck used by Olympic champion Yuto Horigome, Japan, during Tokyo 2020;
- Pair of climbing shoes worn by Olympic champion Janja Garnbret, Slovenia, during Tokyo 2020;
- Sweatshirt worn by breaking double Youth Olympic champion B-girl Ram (Ramu Kawai), Japan, during the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018;
- Torch used during the Sydney 2000 torch relay;
- Torch used during the Melbourne 1956 torch relay;
- Running singlet worn by Peter Norman, Australia, silver medallist at Mexico City 1968;
- Team blazer worn by Olympic champion Edgar “Dunc” Gray, Australia, during the Berlin 1936 Opening Ceremony.
The addition of the six youth-focused sports featured in the exhibition to the Olympic programme at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 was facilitated by the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020+5, which offered a new opportunity for organising committees to propose additional events and new sports for their edition of the Games.
The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee was the first to have the chance to propose new events, taking into account the changing landscape of the consumption of sport in more urban settings, as well as gender equality and bringing sports to where young people are already present.
Riding the Olympic Wave will include a series of artistic installations that highlight the close ties between contemporary art, culture and sport. The exhibition will be on display in the National Museum of Australia’s Gandel Atrium until 30 September 2024.