The Sports Museum was established in Thessaloniki in 1998 with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Macedonia

 – Thrace, the Special Secretariat for Sports, Athletic Unions and Associations of Local Authorities. In 2001, the Museum transformed into a non-profit private institution, named “SPORT MUSEUM of THESSALONIKI”. 

In January 2008, the International Olympic Committee recognized the Museum as the first Olympic Museum of the country, with the name THESSALONIKI OLYMPIC MUSEUM. The supreme honor of the recognition of the Museum’s work and offer to the public of Central and North Greece was the turning point of the Museum’s entrance in its second decade.

The restricted faculty of its first domicile, at Aristotelous Square, was surpassed in the new privately owned building in the conflict of Agiou Dimitriou str and 3r September str. 

The new building integrates in an urban knot of special sport, educational and cultural significance, while the structure of the building offers the possibility of multiple way of use, since it includes a fully equipped amphitheatre, two multiple-use halls, a buffet bar and shop. 

The missions of the Museum are the conservation, promotion, information and innervation of the public in the issues of sport heritage, and also the communication and co-operation with agencies of the athletic family. In this frame was developed the exhibition movement of the Sports Museum, that was accompanied by publications, museological educational programs and parallel events.

The policy on collections of the museum is divided into two periods, from 1998 up until the end of 2007 and from January 2008 and onwards, when the museum was renamed Olympic.

During the initial years which followed the establishment of the museum its collection consisted mainly of objects that comprised the on display items of each exhibition organized by the museum, as well as from donations of personal artifacts from Greek athletes which have excelled in their sports, from sporting associations, from distinguished journalists who participated in important athletic events, as well as other collectible objects from the world of sports. The collection of the museum consists of objects and memorabilia from various World, European, Balkan and Mediterranean Games and Championships, and from the Olympic Games.

From January 2008 and onwards, when I.O.C acknowledged the Museum as Olympic the objectives were partially differentiated and are now focused on the collections of objects which are related to the Olympic Games, such as suits, equipment, Olympic medals, memorabilia and publications from the Olympic organizations.

Our initial aim is to enrich the collection of Summer mainly Olympic Games, but also the collection of objects from Winter Games.

fonte: @edisonmariotti #edisonmariotti colaboração: Αφροδίτη Διαμαντοπούλου
http://olympicmuseum-thessaloniki.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=108&Itemid=257