1928 Olympic Games: Collection connection from Qatar to Amsterdam Introduction
Olympic Museum in Lausanne brought nine international Olympic museums together and invited them to form a network. The nine organisations agreed to cooperate in the
team.
international teams from the Olympic Museum Network: the Qatar Olympic & Sports Museum and the Olympic Stadium Amsterdam co-created this production about the 1928 Olympic Games. The exhibition provides visitors with surprising insight into the historic
from Doha to Amsterdam to be part of the exhibition.
Olympic enthusiast and collector. The Qatar Olympic & Sports Museum recently museum. The international cooperation within the OMN has now made it possible to share and exchange collections. We truly believe that the future lies in cooperation. the international ‘collection connection’: from Qatar to Amsterdam.
Dr. Christian Wacker
Hans Lubberding
Heel even leek het alsof het Nederlands Olympisch ComitĂŠ(NOC) de organisatie van de Olympische Spelen van 1928 terug moest geven aan het Internationaal Olympisch verstrekken. Met een gigantische publieksactie spanden vele sportliefhebbers uit heel
“
For a while it as if the NOC would have to hand back the organisation of the 1928 money needed. Special committees were established all over the country and beyond; for example in
Suddenly everyone was talking about the Olympic Games. This led the chairman of the Dutch Football League to thank the national politicians for withdrawing their support:
Obligatie uitgegeven door de Olympic & Sports Museum (QOSM) Sports Museum (QOSM)
Preparation
stadium itself could begin.
plenty of hotel boats dotted throughout the city of Amsterdam. The closer it came to the The biggest problem in the stadium was the construction of the athletics and cycle track as the good advice of specialists was systematically ignored. An international embarrasscalled a meeting to ensure the construction of proper cinder tracks. They wanted to
Olympische Winterspelen in Nederland?
Winterspelen te mogen organiseren. Het Nederlands Olympisch ComitĂŠ (NOC) onder-
Courant dat het theoretisch inderdaad denkbaar was dat die Winterspelen in Nederland
Nederland om dit snel af te kunnen handelen.
heeft het in die bewuste weken alleen maar gedooid.
Olympic Winter Games in the Netherlands?
Olympic committee seriously considered whether this would be possible. Courant that it was theoretically possible that those Winter Games would take place in
business with the Netherlands to close the deal quickly. The NOC however continued to research the possibilities of the Dutch hosting the Winter Games and only six months later announced their conclusion: the country's annual snow fall was too light and mountain count too low to take on this
the Winter Games took place.
geboortegrond is van één van de beroemdste symbolen ter wereld.
Integendeel: opeens kringelde er rook boven de toren en dat was het dan. De meeste een onmisbaar onderdeel is geworden van de olympische traditie.
tower situated in front of the stadium: ‘I have great expectations of its appearance. It will
atletiek en turnen.
Women at the Olympic tournament
occurred in athletics and gymnastics in 1928. In the gymnastics competition only the national teams could enter. The Dutch national champions of the Netherlands. The Telegraaf wrote the following poem to honour these
In the athletics competition there was the most consternation surrounding the 800 meter
Olympische Spelen: 800 meter voor
the preparation of the next Olympic Games.’
there as one of the spectators and I saw it with my own eyes. ‘Although athletics until 1960.
schreef het Algemeen Handelsblad vlak voor aanvang van de Spelen van 1928.
hadden gestaan.
internationale aanduiding voor parkeerplaats.’ Met andere woorden: Amster-
because there had never been more than 2000 cars parked in a single parking lot in Amsterdam. The authorities therefore needed a symbol so that foreign visitors could immedi-
symbol for parking space.’ In other words: Amsterdam is the inventor of the
navigate themselves towards the Stadium from anywhere in the city or country.
De Kunstolympiade
1928 schreef: ‘Een onderdeel van de Olympische Spelen vormt het concours van werken
piade voor de laatste keer op het programma.
Art Olympics location. At that time the Artistic Olympics were held simultaneously with the Games. This also
everyone. The Nieuwsblad van het Noorden wrote: ‘It seems as if a hurried bridge has been constructed between art and sport.’
for the last time.
Italian sportsmen visit the art exhibition of the Cultural Olympiad in the
uitnoodiging gevolg geven.’
Her royal highness Queen Wilhelmina caused an upset in 1928 by boycotting the opening of the Olympic Games. At the start of that year there was no sign of trouble. As no doubt adhere to this tradition and surely H.M the Queen will accept this invitation.’
It is probable the Queen was displeased that the IOC had determined the day of the opening without consulting her. Wilhelmina was apparently making a point that she
gold medals.
waarna de verslaggever opmerkte dat de sportbestuurders er ’s ochtends soms wel heel
enige sportevenement in de wereld dat de concurrentie met de Olympische Spelen aankan. Na dit historische besluit trokken de FIFA-leden naar het Olympisch Stadion om een
The FIFA took arguably the most decision in its history by voting in favor of a new football grew out to become one of the only sports events in the world which can compete with
Dinner at the Royal Palace
delegates and embassies. The guests came from the highest legions and included the
the pleasant cooperation and raised their glasses to a positive result. countries. They sat at one of the three side tables because the head table was intended
Dagblad Het Centrum schreef over dit historische moment: 'Even na drie uur komen de
interesseren.’En dat allemaal in maar twee weken…
of May the Netherlands beat France in the opening match of the Olympic hockey
played by their own rules which were not used anywhere else in the world. This meant
2012 this remains a record for the number of spectators at a hockey match in the Nether-
’And all that in a mere two weeks…
gevechten in het centrum van Amsterdam.
uitverkocht.
pool. This draw led to extensive upheaval and brawls in the center of Amsterdam.
lands where tickets were sold. The chaos truly broke loose when it was decided to close the bars and the football fans
easy for trouble makers to push their way into the crowd and cause riots.’ All night there within half an hour.
matches sold out completely.
24
Atletiek
and fans. During the athletics competition the Games avoided an aerial disaster. ‘An aircraft then moved off towards the city.’ It appeared the pilot had wanted to land in the
met twintig seconden aan.’
worden erkend en gehomologeerd.’
che titel won.
beat the Olympic record by twenty seconds.’ Weismuller also popped up in other locations around Amsterdam. For fun he decided to swim a hundred meter race in a swimming pool near Leidseplein and climbed out of the
Temporary diving pool next to the Olympic
Olympic title.
Het turnen was in 1928 nog gewoon in de buitenlucht op het heilige gras van het koper kreeg daarna een eigen radioprogramma met gymnastieklessen voor de
Estella Blits - Agsteribbe (1909 – 1943), met man en twee kinderen vermoord in Auschwitz Anna Dresden - Polak (1906 – 1943), met dochter vermoord in Sobibor, haar man sterft in Auschwitz Helena Kloot - Nordheim (1904 – 1943), met man en dochter vermoord in Sobibor Judik Themans - Simons Gerrit Kleerekoper -
Gymnastics Gymnastics in 1928 was still performed outdoors on the sacred grass of the Olympic
spread the trend of physical exercise via radio or television. Many of the gymnasts of the tion camps during the Second World War. It is a horrifying list: Estella Blits - Agsteribbe (1909 - 1943), murdered in Auschwitz with husband and two children Anna Dresden - Polak (1906 - 1943), murdered with daughter in Sobibor, her husband died in Auschwitz
Helena Kloot - Nordheim (1904 - 1943), murdered with husband and daughter in Sobibor JudikThemans - Simons (1904 - 1943), murdered with two kids in Sobibor Gerrit Kleerekoper (1897 – 1943), murdered with wife and two children in Sobibor In the summer of 2012 The Financial Times tracked down the Italian gymnast Carla Maran-
Credits:
Qatar Museums Authority
Qatar Olympic & Sports Museum
Olympic Stadium Amsterdam
With special thanks to all colleagues from Amsterdam Olympic Experience and Qatar