United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum facts for kids

United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum

United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum as seen from the parking lot in 2022
Established	July 30, 2020 (2020-07-30)
Location	Colorado Springs, U.S.
Type	Sports museum
Architect	Diller Scofidio + Renfro
Olympic Museums Network
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The United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum (USOPM) is a special sports museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. It first opened its doors on July 30, 2020. This museum celebrates the amazing Olympic and Paralympic athletes who have proudly represented Team USA. It's a place where you can learn about their journeys and achievements.

History of the Museum

Work on the museum began on June 9, 2017. Colorado Springs is a perfect home for the museum. This city is where the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is located. It also has the main United States Olympic Training Center. The museum works closely with the USOPC.

Exploring the Museum

The museum cost $91 million to build. It is 60,000 square feet, which is a very large space! It tells the stories of American Olympic and Paralympic athletes. When you visit, you get a ticket and take an elevator to the third floor. From there, you walk down a long, winding ramp. This ramp takes you through many cool galleries, a theater, and a gift shop. There are no stairs on this path, making it easy for everyone to explore.

Designed for Everyone!

This museum is super friendly for everyone, no matter their abilities. It was designed so all guests can see and join in the fun. They use special technology to help visitors. For example, there are captions and audio descriptions. You can also find ASL translations. Special lanyards use RFID to make text bigger for people who can't see well. All the spaces are easy to move around in. Even Team USA athletes helped plan the museum!

Cool Building Design

The museum building itself is a work of art. It was designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro. They wanted it to look like it was moving. If you look at the building from above, it looks like a discus thrower in action. The outside of the museum is covered with 9,000 unique, shiny diamond-shaped panels. No two panels are exactly the same! The museum is located in downtown Colorado Springs.

Amazing Things to See and Do

The museum has many exciting things to see and interactive exhibits to try.

• Olympic Torches: You can see a full collection of Olympic Torches. These are the torches used to carry the flame for the Olympic Games, starting from 1936.
• Olympic Medals: Check out a complete set of Olympic medals. These are the awards given to top athletes.
• Artworks: See cool sports art by a famous artist named LeRoy Neiman.
• Try the Sports: Get active with interactive sports games! You can try a 30-meter dash (a short sprint). You can also try alpine skiing, archery, and goalball. There are even simulations for skeleton and sled hockey.
• Parade of Nations: Experience a simulated Parade of Nations. This is like the opening ceremony where athletes from different countries march together.

See also

• United States Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame
• Lake Placid Winter Olympic Museum
• Eccles Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games Museum
• Museum of Sierra Ski History and 1960 Winter Olympics