From Usain Bolt's T-Shirt To Dhyan Chand's Hockey Stick: A Walk Around Switzerland's Olympic Museum

Did you know an athlete must submit at least 90 ml of urine for a drug test during the Olympics? Or did the athletes consume 19 tonnes of eggs during the London Games 2012? Have you seen Usain Bolt's T-shirt? Or Neeraj Chopra's javelin? Did you know that Citius-Altius-Fortius is only three-fourths of the Olympic motto? If the answer to all of the above is "no" and you'd want to make it a "yes," then a visit to the Olympic Museum at Lausanne, Switzerland (about a one-hour drive from Geneva) is the way to do it. The Olympics are just around the corner, so there is no better time to see such a museum.

Situated over three floors (3,000 sq metres) and with an entrance fee of 20 Swiss francs (about INR 1,900), the museum is well worth a visit.  Between two and three hours should be adequate to cover the three floors, soak in the information, and get inspired. There's a lot of history—and it's transmitted to you through various exhibits (more than 1500) related to the Olympics. Other ways include videos, photographs, and interactive media.

As you would expect, the museum begins with exhibits on the ancient games. Then it goes on, in some detail, to Baron Pierre de Coubertain (Former president of the International Olympic Committee) and his efforts to restart the games. You will see his letters and the many awards conferred on him for his genius idea of using sport to unite the world. The village is a hugely important part of the games, and much space is given to it—including the food for the athletes. Much of the planning that goes behind this enormous exercise is shown in photographs and models. The room keys in some villages (Munich, 1972 games, for instance) are on display. Quotes from Olympic winners such as Jesse Owens ("Friendship born on the field of athletic strife are the real gold of competition. Awards become corroded, friends gather no dust") and Dawn Fraser are screened on the walls.

The Paralympics and the Winter Olympics are also part of the exhibition but form a small segment. Yet, seeing a photograph of Shiva Keshavan, who represented India in luge at the 1998 Winter Olympics, was good. Given that India has a relatively unimpressive Olympic record (except hockey), the number of Indian exhibits is considerable. In addition to these exhibits, Dhyan Chand's magical hockey stick and Abhinav Bindra's air rifle are also part of the exhibition.

Choosing a favourite exhibit is challenging, but some stand out. I liked the passenger list of the USA team that boarded the SS President Roosevelt for the 1928 games in Amsterdam. The pamphlet is autographed by Johnny Weissmuller, the swimming champion and, equally necessary, the man who played Tarzan on the silver screen. Not surprisingly, a poster for a Tarzan movie is also on display. One imposing wall displays all the Olympic torches of the various games. Gold, silver and bronze medals from all of the past games are also on show; so also are all the Olympic mascots: a “lucky” dollar bill, which accompanied three different show-jumpers from three other countries in three games spread across 36 years—and resulted in Gold medals for all three athletes. A particularly creative chart on one wall has photographs of different athletes to display the other body types for the various sports. The range is quite astonishing, right from Tabitha Yim, who is 4'8" and weighs 85 lbs (38.5 kg) and is a gymnast, naturally, to​ Emanuel Yarbrough, who, as a Sumo wrestler, touches 6'8" and weighs 700 lbs (317.5 kg).

Children (and adults) will enjoy themselves as they have plenty of opportunities to test themselves and see if they match Olympic standards. One perfect example is a game which tests your reflexes. The wall in front of you has numerous lamps which light up one at a time and in a random fashion. Your job is to press the lamp as quickly as possible for it to turn off and the next one to get switched on. In the one minute that you are given, I saw someone do a good job of reacting fast to the lamps. He scored 39 in 60 seconds. And then we saw from the scoreboard that the record was....171! This is a potential Olympic winner!

The museum does not pass up on the opportunity to catch them young. Given that children form a significant part of the spectators here, the diet-related exhibits educate the visitors about the benefits of a healthy diet and much more.

Very close to the exit is a podium where visitors can climb on for selfies. The irony was not lost on me—immediately behind the podium, on the wall, are the immortal words of Coubertain, meant to express the Olympic spirit: "…the essential thing is not to have won, but to have fought well."

The gift shop contains the usual Olympic-related gifts, toys, and books. I was amused to see a French edition of Asterix and the Olympic games and—given that we are in Switzerland—a copy of Johanna Spyri's "Heidi," one of the best-selling books ever written. Outside the museum are statues of some greats, such as Paavo Nurmi, Emil Zatopekand, and others.  I also witnessed the setup for a high jump at close range for the first time. It's not until you stand next to the bars that you realise how high a high jumper flies when doing 8 feet!

The Information

Address: Quai d'Ouchy 1, 1006 Lausanne, Switzerland

Timings: Tuesday to Sunday, 9 am to 6 pm

Tickets: Adults: 20 Swiss Francs Students; Senior Citizens, Persons with Disabilities: 14 Swiss Francs; Children below 15 years of age: Free (when accompanied by an adult)

Getting There:  From Geneva Airport, take a train to Lausanne Railway Station and then catch bus No. 21 (or a cab) to the museum. Alternatively, you can take a cab directly from Geneva Airport to the museum.