It Is Not Our Problem: Socio-Politics at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne

Timothy Bridgman

doi:10.18778/1427-9657.14.2.01

Authors

Timothy Bridgman University of Łódź https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8796-2736

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1427-9657.14.2.01

Keywords:

Olympic Museum Lausanne, International Olympic Committee, Olympic Games, sociopolitical arena, sport heritage, public sport history, the museum politics of display, political proxy

Abstract

This research examines how the Olympic Museum in Lausanne addresses sociopolitical issues occurring at past Olympic Games in its permanent exhibitions. It provides a background on the previous Olympic political policy and the Olympic Stakeholder theory, implying the existence of a sociopolitical arena in Olympic sport, then identifies exhibits within the museum that convey overtly sociopolitical messages. Themed observational evidence taken from two separate museum visits is used to provide the basis of a claim that the museum has increased the recognition of the Olympic Games as a sociopolitical arena. Yet, an interview with the museum did not confirm this finding, as, instead, the museum sought to distance itself from both the subject matter and academic research. The conclusion offers an explanation of the museum’s actions in terms of the denial of political responsibilities and the rejection of the concept of the politics of display.

Author Biography

Timothy Bridgman, University of Łódź

Tim Bridgman is currently a guest lecturer and PhD doctoral student at the Faculty of International and Political Studies at the University of Lodz, where he researches sociopolitical responsibility at sports mega-events as well as teaches classes in sustainable development and conversation. Over the last 25 years, Tim has worked for the University of Lodz on three separate occasions, for two faculties, and in four departments, where he has taught specialization courses in subjects as diverse as Afro-British fusion music, digital literature, and journalism. He also has a professional background in intercultural training, business conference organizing, advertising copywriting, and was the founding manager of an online music marketing company in the early days of Web 2.0.

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