Akwasi Frimpong's race suit goes on exhibition at the Olympic Museum

Akwasi Frimpong's race suit goes on exhibition at the Olympic Museum

akwasie

Ghana's lone-ranger at the 2018 Winter Olympics Akwasi Frimpong says he is honoured after his colourful competition suit went on display at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.

In March this year, Frimpong revealed that the Olympic Museum had asked him to donate something to their historic collection.

He said the Museum wanted both his competition suit and his much-discussed helmet but he could not give up his helmet because he felt the former was more representative of his country of birth, Ghana.

Frimpong took to Twitter to express his delight: "Here it is then; my 2018 #Olympic skeleton race suit displayed in the main @olympicmuseum in Lausanne, Switzerland 🇨🇭.#Ghana🇬🇭 to the world!".

Akwasi Frimpong who finished last in the men's skeleton competition during the Games, said he signed and donated the suit that he wore during the training sessions in Pyeongchang without washing them.

Born and raised in Kumasi, Ghana, Akwasi Frimpong moved to the Netherlands at the age of eight, where he lived as an illegal immigrant.

After overcoming much adversity, including injury and the task of mastering three different sports along the way, Frimpong's long-awaited dream finally became a reality when he made history as Ghana's first skeleton athlete at a Winter Olympics.

About the Olympic Museum

The Olympic Museum is one of Lausanne's prime tourist site draws, attracting more than 250,000 visitors each year.

The museum was founded on June 23, 1993, on the initiative of then-president of the IOC Juan Antonio Samaranch. Mexican architect Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, an International Olympic Committee member, and Jean-Pierre Cahen, were in charge of the project. The museum was named the European Museum of the Year in 1995.

After 23 months of renovation between 2012 and 2013, the Olympic Museum re-opened on 21 December 2013. During the transformations of the building, a temporary exhibition was set up in a boat (Helvétie) of the CGN, in front of the Olympic Park.

The permanent exhibition is organized into three major themes on three separate floors: Olympic World, Olympic Games, and Olympic Spirit. A visit begins on the third floor, where the Olympic World part of the exhibition informs visitors of the history of the ancient Olympic Games and the rebirth of the modern Games in the 19th century. Highlights include a display of Olympic torches, as well as a video documenting major moments in the history of opening ceremonies history.

The second floor focuses on Olympic Games. Sporting equipment for a variety of sports are on display, and visitors are introduced to the Youth Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games. More than 1,000 video clips of Olympic Games events and athletes are can be searched and viewed at individual viewing stations.

The final part of the permanent exhibit covers the Olympic Spirit, where visitors are made to feel part of an Olympic Village and can test their balance, agility, and mental skills with interactive exercises. Olympic medals are also on display.

comments