Olympic history at the FIFA Museum

The Olympic Football Tournament is the oldest tournament organized by FIFA. This week, the FIFA Museum set up a pop-up exhibition to celebrate the long history of football at the Olympics. This Friday the Olympic flame will be lit at the opening ceremony of the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, or more commonly known the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. Two days before the official opening, the Olympic Women’s Football tournament will kick-off, followed by the men’s tournament a day later.

Association football has long been part of the Olympics. Exhibition matches where played in 1900 and 1904 and since the 1908 Games football has been an official Olympic discipline. Women’s football was added in 1996. Many people are not aware that FIFA organizes the Olympic football tournaments and to celebrate its rich history, the FIFA Museum has installed a pop-up exhibition in Zurich. The pop-up contains several exciting objects, including the Gold medal that former German international Josephine Henning won with her team at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. There is also a touchscreen for visitors to discover historical highlights from both the men’s and women’s Olympic football tournaments. The pop-up exhibition is located on the ground floor of the museum and is open to all visitors with a normal museum ticket. It will stay on until Sunday, 29 August.