2024 Summer Olympics in Paris; Qatar Museums celebrates with exciting exhibitions and public events from July 24

Qatar Museums will begin hosting public activities and fascinating exhibitions on July 24 in celebration of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. In addition to Jiwan taking over Le Dalí at Le Meurice hotel and the debut of the first-ever Arabic translation of writings by Pierre de Coubertin, the French historian and visionary widely regarded as the father of the modern Olympic games, the programme is highlighted by two exhibitions curated by Qatar Museums and 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum. 

The summer project of Qatar Museums builds new connections based on a mutual love of sport while reinforcing the longstanding ties between Qatar and France. The initiative is a carryover from the 2020 Year of Culture between Qatar and France, which involved a year-long series of partnerships involving institutions in both nations. The French Republic and the State of Qatar inked a major cultural agreement in 2014. 

Exhibition: Esports | A Game Changer

Date: July 24 - September 8, 2024

Time: 10 am to 6 pm

Ticket: Free

Location: Résidence Cîteaux: 45, Boulevard Diderot

The first-of-its-kind exhibition, organised by Qatar Museums and 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, examines the development of competitive gaming from its niche beginnings to a vibrant cultural economy that supports major mainstream events. 

Exhibition: Olympism: More Than a Dream

Date: July 31 - August 25, 2024

Time: 10 am to 6 pm 

Ticket: Free

Location: Le Royal Monceau – Raffles Paris

The 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum is presenting an exhibition in the French capital, Paris, from July 31 to August 25, at the Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris Hotel, as part of Qatar's participation to Paris 2024. Olympism: More than a Dream, the exhibition, documents 40 years of Qatar's Olympic involvement starting in 1984. 

Within the refined environs of the Raffles art gallery, the three sections of the show are as follows: 

- The first section honours Pierre de Coubertin, the man who founded the modern Olympics, and highlights Qatar's contribution of the first Arabic translation of Coubertin's Selected Writings. 

Famous Olympic artefacts from the Museum's collection are on display in the exhibition, including Muhammad Ali's left boxing glove from Rome 1960, which the charismatic athlete hand-inscribed with a list of his victories, and a rare Olympic torch from Innsbruck 1964, which was used on the first occasion the Olympic flame for a Winter Games was lit in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the Ancient Olympic Games. 

- The second section covers significant turning points in Qatar's Olympic history, ranging from its debut in Los Angeles in 1984 until Tokyo in 2020. 

The exhibition sheds light on how Qatar and the MENA area have embraced the Olympic principles of friendship, excellence, and respect. 

- The third and last section examines Qatar's rise to prominence as a global leader in sports and as a potential host of the Olympic Games. Building on its extensive and prosperous history of hosting international sporting events, Qatar now hopes to realise its Olympic goal. 

Under the direction of Abdulla Al Mulla, Director of the Museum, and the 3-2-1 team in collaboration with the Coubertin Family Association and the Qatar Olympic Committee, the exhibition is organised by Susan Hayward FMA, Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs at the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic & Sports Museum. 

Book Launch: the Arabic translation of “Textes Choisis” by Baron Pierre De Coubertin, hosted by Qatar Olympic Committee

QR360 / €90 

In-Q’s website and Qatar Museums’ gift shops

Qatar Museums will debut Pierre De Coubertin: Textes Choisis, Volume 1, the first translation of selected writings by the father of the modern Olympic Games from French into Arabic, as part of the Team Qatar Reception by the Qatar Olympic Committee held in Paris during the Games. 

The book will be made accessible to the general public via the gift stores of Qatar Museums and the In-Q website. Using material from his extensive writing career (almost 500,000 words), the book compiles some of Coubertin's most significant pieces on the unifying force of sport. It introduces Arabic-reading audiences to the principles that guide the current Olympic movement as the Summer Olympics get underway in Paris. 

Jiwan Delivers Unique Doha Flavours to Paris 

From July 29 to August 4, Jiwan, the National Museum of Qatar's premier restaurant, will occupy Le Dalí at the Le Meurice hotel in Paris. Jiwan's cuisine will include colourful tastes and emphasise Doha's rich legacy. 

Jiwan encourages visitors to sample its distinctively Doha cuisine, which is influenced by local culinary customs and Middle Eastern ingredients, while the world congregates in Paris. This partnership exemplifies the diversity at the heart of Jiwan's philosophy, fusing regional customs with an international viewpoint.

The 'hotel of artists and philosophers,' Le Meurice, offers the perfect backdrop for this gastronomic and cultural interchange. A dining experience that combines Doha's historic traditions with an exquisite Parisian design is promised during the Jiwan takeover. A famous pastry chef, Cedric Grolet, will create magnificent sweets and new interpretations on Middle Eastern classics for the diners to enjoy.