Historical Archive of Sarajevo prepared exhibition '12 Days When We Were the Center of the World - 40 Years Since the 14th Winter Olympics in Sarajevo'

(Patria) - On Wednesday, February 7, 2024, at 2:00 PM, the opening of the Historical Archive of Sarajevo exhibition "12 DAYS WHEN WE WERE THE CENTER OF THE WORLD - 40 Years Since the XIV Winter Olympics in Sarajevo" will be held.

"The XIV Winter Olympic Games were held in Sarajevo from February 8 to 19, 1984. They were the first Winter Olympic Games held in a socialist country, attended by competitors from both political blocs at the time. A total of 1,272 competitors from 49 countries participated in six sports at the Games. According to assessments, they were marked as one of the best-organized Winter Olympic Games in history. Sarajevo's selection as the host city for the XIV Winter Olympic Games was announced on May 18, 1978, during the 80th session of the International Olympic Committee in Athens. Competing cities were Japan's Sapporo and Sweden's Gothenburg. After the second round of voting, Sarajevo was awarded the organization by a majority of votes. This was also an opportunity for Sarajevo, with its mountains, to correct the negative image of a "city of assassination" that had followed it since the early 20th century.

The plan and preparation for the organization of the XIV Winter Olympics can be traced back two years before the organization was awarded, when efforts were made to improve and modernize the city, i.e., to find a political lobby so that the then-Yugoslavia would stand in support of Sarajevo in the bid to win the organization of the Winter Olympics.

The City Assembly of Sarajevo, as the legislative body of the City, was the leading force in this struggle, and thus, through the documents and materials stored in the Historical Archive of Sarajevo, one can follow the efforts and activities from a special perspective to achieve what we today call the Sarajevo Olympics of 1984.

This exhibition is only a small contribution to preserving the memory of the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympic Games, the efforts of institutions and people, the events, and Sarajevo, which was truly the center of the world for those 12 days."

The exhibition will be displayed at the premises of the Olympic Museum Sarajevo, at Petrakijina 7, Sarajevo. It is open to the public from February 7 to 29, 2024.

The organization of the exhibition was supported by: The Ministry of Culture and Sport of Sarajevo Canton, the Olympic Museum Sarajevo - City Museums of Sarajevo, the Olympic Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Tourist Board of Sarajevo Canton.