Participation medals were presented to athletes in 1900 and 1924.
ATLANTA — The Atlanta History Center’s “Atlanta ’96” exhibit tells the story of how the Olympics came to Atlanta and the legacy they left behind.
“Atlanta’s Olympic ambitions did not come about out of nowhere,” said Paul Crater, vice president of collections and research services at the Atlanta History Center. “City leaders have long promoted the city as a national and international tourist destination.”
The exhibition will feature artefacts from over a century of the game, including autographed balls, Olympic and Paralympic medals and every torch since 1936.
It’s designed to show how much the Olympics have evolved over the years.
“Izzy, the (1996) Olympic mascot, was the first computer-generated Olympic mascot,” Crater said. “When you look back 28 years, the technology that was used not only to host the Olympics, but to host the Olympic bid, shows how far countries and organizing committees have come.”
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In addition to the memorabilia on display, the History Center’s archives house an extensive Olympic collection, including two century-old medals from the Paris Games that were retrieved from storage for 11Alive.
“Participation medals have been handed out since the early days of the Olympics,” Crater said. “The Atlanta History Center has dozens of participation medals in its collection, including two from the 1924 and 1900 Olympics in Paris.”
The Atlanta ’96 exhibit is on display year-round at the Atlanta History Center.
