Mika Nurmi with the Paris 1924 Olympic gold medals won by his grandfather Paavo Nurmi (Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images for World Athletics Heritage)
Paris 1924 to Paris 2024 is a World Athletics Heritage and Museum of World Athletics, MOWA, programme celebrating the Games of the 33rd Olympiad Paris 2024 throughout this year.
During the fortnight of the Games, a selection of competition artefacts from the MOWA Olympic Athletics Collection, which have been worn or used in the Olympic Games, will be on public display in the centre of Paris.
The display, which features artefacts from more than 30 Olympic medallists, will be hosted in the public spaces of the Westin Paris – Vendome situated opposite the world-famous Tuileries Garden, from July 24 to August 11.
Among the featured items are the singlet and bib number worn by Herb Elliott in Rome 1960 when he sped to the 1500-metres title in a world record; the pair of spikes which took Alberto Juantorena to his 400 and 800 metres double, the latter in a world record, in Montreal 1976.
And one of Michael Johnson’s Atlanta 1996 gold spikes in which he won the 200 and 400 metres double, the former in a world record.
The London 1948 Olympic accreditation card of Fanny Blankers-Koen, who won four gold medals in those Games, will also be on show, as will the spikes which Irena Szewinska wore when sprinting to the 400-metres world record and Olympic title in Montreal 1976.
The Flying Finn Paavo Nurmi, the most successful Olympic track and field athlete in history with nine gold and three silver medals, is central to the Paris celebrations.
English (US) ·