An exhibition titled “Olympic Games in Artifacts” was presented as part of the latest St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-2023). Drawn from the private collection of Russian billionaire Vladimir Potanin, the exhibits were put on public display in the State Museum of Sports in St. Petersburg. Potanin’s private collection of Olympics-related objects is one of the largest in this field and includes commemorative and award medals, cups, diplomas, and other articles of historical value. Among the most impressive exhibits are the Olympic torches from the 1980 Moscow Olympics and the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi (the Olympic flame). The collection features other unique artifacts previously unknown to the general public, such as Italian bronze pots (bronzini) that held bouquets of edelweiss flowers offered to the winners of the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
According to Vladimir Potanin, the collection belongs to a charitable foundation, and not to him personally, despite having been acquired with the billionaire’s donations. The end owner is Sportclub Rosa, an autonomous non-profit organization that Potanin co-owns. The collection is under the stewardship of the Russian International Olympic University, which was established in 2009 with a contribution from Potanin’s company Interros. Vladimir Potanin purchased it from another private collector whose name has not been disclosed. Building on the obtained items, the Russian billionaire began putting together his own largest collection of Olympic medals and awards in 2018.
