Learn more about the Olympics in Fourways pop-up museum
FOURWAYS – With less than a month to go before the Olympic Games in Tokyo, community members have a chance to head to Fourways Mall to see the history of the Olympics.
Visitors at Fourways Mall were treated to a pop-up museum to celebrate World Olympic Day on 23 June.
The event also created excitement for the upcoming Olympics which will begin on 23 July in Tokyo. The pop-up museum had many facts and artefacts about current and former Olympians from South Africa.
The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee’s first vice president, Lwandile Simelane said the day was important, especially to the youth, in understanding the Olympics.
“It’s an important initiative for young children who want to be inspired one day to understand what is the concept of Olympism and why they would want to aspire to become an Olympian.
“With the entire world celebrating Olympic Day today, we want to emphasise the principles of togetherness and try to bring back ubuntu,” she added.
The museum showcased various sports, the progression of technology used at the Olympics, and commemorated a number of South African athletes. Items such as shoes, hockey sticks, tracksuits and access passes of athletes over the years were on display.
Communications coordinator of Fourways Mall Veruschka Moodley said it was a ‘no-brainer’ to lend a hand in getting fellow South Africans excited for their athletes to represent the country in the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo. “We were contacted by Newton Sports Agency, who works alongside the Olympic associations, because they needed a space that would work with Covid regulations for the museum. We want to recognise our athletes and support local sport, and it is such a feel-good for the country at the moment.”
She added, “South Africa is such a big sporting nation and we haven’t had anything to celebrate in a long time. So we wanted to get involved with getting everyone through this difficult period.”
Khotso Mokoena, a South African athlete who won silver in the 2008 World Olympic Games in Beijing, said with the recent announcement of crowds allowed in the venues for the Olympic Games, it should give the athletes the extra motivation they needed. “From the view of the athletes, preparation has been going well for them despite all that has happened. They have shown they have been training hard and are ready to go out and compete.
“With all the sporting codes, we’ve got really talented athletes who have been waiting for this moment,” he said.
