The Olympic Sculptures Unveiled in Guangzhou

On the morning of November 12, 2010, the olympic Sports Sculpture launching ceremony was held at the guangzhou Olympic Committee’s hospitality center. International Olympic Committee President Dr. Jacques Rogge and China Olympic Committee Vice President Wu Qi and Spanish artist Rosa Serra unveiled the Olympic sculptures collection at the ceremony.

The original set was initiated by former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch (1920-2010) in 1984. Rosa Serra spent the next ten plus years creating a set of 38 bronzes representing the 28 summer Olympic sports and 10 winter ones. Known as the Olympic Suite, the sculptures are highly appreciated in the world. The precious set is now in the permanent collection of Olympic Museum in Lausanne, home to the International Olympic Committee.

With the approval of the IOC and in order to further promote the Olympic Movement in China, the China Olympic Committee decided to make nine-nine sets of the 38 replicas after successfully hosting the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

The Chinese project was officially launched at a press conference in Lausanne on the afternoon of June 24, 2010. IOC President Dr. Jacques Rogge and officials of CIC attended the ceremony. At the ceremony, President Rogge wrote a Chinese character “魂” (Soul in English) with a brush pen. The set is called “Soul of Olympics”.

The reproduction of the 38 original sculptures required cutting-edge technologies, which at that time most Chinese manufacturers were unable to make. The manufacturer conducted various experiments and finally solved problems. They made sculptures with a smooth surface. Rosa Serra spoke highly of the test results. Another technological problem solved by the manufacturer was the coloring. The coloring on bronze sculpture was introduced into China in 2005. The coloring is manually controlled. Engineers developed a sophisticated process to handle the coloring. With successful experiments and with the guidance of Rosa Serra, the manufacturer produced bronzes in perfect color.

Mr. Rogge regarded the reproduction of the Olympic Suite as a mission to further promote the Olympic Spirit and share the culture of Olympics with the world. At the launching ceremony, Dr. Rogge said, “The Olympic Suite faithfully portrays the motion and ambition of the modern Olympic athlete and bears the Olympic spirit and culture. It represents a new level of cooperation in the last 100 years of Olympic history.”

Sport represents beauty, art, justice, courage, honor, fun, energy, progress and peace. The Olympic Movement is a great deal more than sporting competition. It is a cultural gala and legacy of world civilization celebrated by all the humanity. The sculptures are perfect artworks to promote the Olympic Spirit. The reproduction of the 38 bronzes in China will not only further popularize the Olympic Movement in China but also showcase “One World, One Dream”, which is the theme of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.