(W.E. Talk)Wu Jingguo: Why Is the World's Only Samaranch Memorial Located in Tianjin?

By Zhang Shaoxuan from China News Service (CNS)

August 8, 2023

On July 31, 2023, when Matteo Samaranch Bigelli (Juan Antonio Samaranch Bigelli, grandson of Honorary President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Juan Antonio Samaranch) boarded a plane for his return trip from China, he once again looked towards the Bohai Sea coast in the direction of Tianjin, where the world's only Samaranch Memorial, authorized by the Samaranch family and approved by the IOC, is located. More than 16,000 precious objects collected by his grandfather during his lifetime are on display in the Memorial. During his visit to Tianjin, Matteo Samaranch Bigelli said that this place is like his second home, and every time he approaches it, he feels at home.

On April 21, 2013, the Samaranch Memorial was officially opened to the public. Ten years later, Matteo Samaranch Bigelli still calls it "a bond of sports and cultural exchanges". This year marks the 10th anniversary of the memorial museum. Wu Jingguo, a former member of the IOC Executive Committee, and the founder and curator of the Samaranch Memorial, gave an exclusive interview to "W.E. Talk" at China News Service, explaining the Olympic spirit in China and the history of the Memorial that showcases the legendary life of Samaranch to the world.

Here are excerpts from the interview:

CNS: Why is the Samaranch Memorial located in China?

Wu Jingguo: I got to know Mr. Samaranch during the 1980 Moscow Olympics. We both majored in non-sports specialties, but we both loved sports and collecting, plus we both had a passion for boxing, which made us hit it off.

Mr. Samaranch visited China 29 times during his lifetime. He was instrumental in the adoption of The Nagoya Resolution in 1979, which allowed newly-founded China to restore its legitimate seat in the IOC. On July 13, 2001, he announced in person that the 2008 Summer Olympics would be held in Beijing.

In 1981, he told He Zhenliang, who was elected a member of the IOC, that "the cooperation between the IOC and the Chinese Olympic Committee will make the Olympic Games stronger because of China." After the Beijing Olympics, in his article "Why Do I Love and Respect China?" he wrote that "the Chinese people are a nation with a strong memory, they know how to cherish friendships in times of trouble, and will not forget those who stood by them in times of trouble. At the Beijing Olympics, I gained love and friendship from China, and learned to love and respect the Chinese people. Olympics in the 21st century cannot be devoid of China, and the Olympic family cannot be devoid of the 1.3 billion Chinese people because they will make us stronger."

Mr. Samaranch loved China all his life, and my family has a good friendship with his family. Samaranch trusted his lifelong collection to me, so I was duty-bound to build the Samaranch Memorial in China.

CNS: Why did the Samaranch Memorial choose Tianjin as its site?

Wu Jingguo: It is recorded in the General History of Sports in China that on October 24, 1907, the famous educator and sportsman Zhang Bolin, a native of Tianjin, made the following proposal at the prize-giving ceremony of the Fifth School Games in Tianjin: "The success of this Games makes me hope that China's athletes will take part in the Olympic Games soon." He was the first person in Chinese history to propose China's participation in the Olympic Games, and from this the "Three Olympic Questions", namely, "When could China attend the Olympics?" "When could China win an Olympic championship?" and "When could China host the Olympics?" were put forward in Tianjin.

Wang Zhengting, China's first IOC member, graduated from Peiyang University (today's Tianjin University) in Tianjin, where Chinese Basketball started. In 1895, the Chinese people saw a basketball match for the first time in Tianjin. Dong Shouyi, the "Father of New China Basketball," coached the basketball team of Nankai School and trained the nationally famous "Nankai Five Tigers", which made Tianjin basketball well-known overseas.

In 1924, Eric Henry Liddell, who won the gold medal in the men's 400 meters at the Paris Olympics, was born in Tianjin and served as a teacher at Tientsin Anglo-Chinese College. In the same year, Zhang Boling became the honorary president of the China National Amateur Athletic Federation, and at a subsequent meeting, he proposed to bid for the 15th Olympic Games, predicting that "the day China hosts the Olympic Games will be the day of China's rise."

Soccer and horse racing were introduced to Tianjin in the 1860s, and since then, modern sports have taken root and thrived in China through Tianjin. Tianjin has played a pivotal role in the development of modern sports in the country. In addition, I am also a son-in-law of Tianjin, so I have a deep affection for this city. The museum received strong support from people from all sectors of society in Tianjin from the selection of the site all the way through to its construction.

CNS: How did Mr. Samaranch entrust you with his lifelong collection before his death?

Wu Jingguo: I had been actively promoting sports exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, and many of my views on the Olympics coincided with those of Mr. Samaranch.

In February 1988, Mr. Samaranch, Mr. He Zhenliang and I had an in-depth discussion on cross-Strait sports exchanges. In 1989, I led a delegation of young gymnasts from Taiwan to Beijing to participate in the Asian Youth Gymnastics Championships.

On the evening of July 13, 2001, He Zhenliang and I were at the 112th IOC Plenary Session at the World Trade Center in Moscow, and when we heard that Beijing had been awarded the right to host the 2008 Olympic Games, we embraced and cried with joy. We felt that we had been granted what we wished for.

In 2008, I accompanied Samaranch to watch the boxing matches at the Beijing Olympics, and again in 2009, when the Boxing World Championships were held in Milan, I again accompanied him to watch the event. During the tournament, he invited me to his office in Barcelona, Spain, and opened the collection cabinet in the basement, saying to me, "I'll give you all this collection if I go to another world one day." At that time, he did not ask me to build a museum, but I felt a heavy responsibility for the will of my lifelong friend.

In April 2010, Samaranch passed away in Barcelona. His family members gave me more than 16,000 artifacts from his personal belongings and collection, including gifts, medals, and Olympic souvenirs from the leaders of various countries. I led a team to photograph and register these collections and then shipped them back to China by sea in 361 cartons, which took about two months.

CNS: What is the philosophy with which the memorial was built?

Wu Jingguo: The Olympic Games have a beginning and an end, but the museum never ends. The Olympic Museum is the Olympic Games that never closes.

The Samaranch Memorial records his life and all his achievements. I don't want it to be just a place that reflects the life stories of celebrities. The death of these figures doesn't mean the end of their stories, as their stories should continue forever. It is my belief that although stories remain unchanged, they can influence the future lives of visitors.

Therefore, we have a "Five Rings Plan" in the design of the Memorial, which is to continue the layout of the Olympic rings. When you look at the venue from the air, it is in the shape of an eight, symbolizing the 2008 Olympic Games that surprised the world, and the S-shape in between represents the first letter of Samaranch's name, which in turn forms the shape of an infinity loop, symbolizing that the story continues after Samaranch's death.

We have placed the other three rings underground to form an underlying area to support the pathway through the venue. They are hidden from view, but can be felt by the visitor at all times. Visitors can enjoy walking in the free dimensions as they circulate.

The ∞-shaped Memorial is completely barrier-free, with no stairs, making it easy for all kinds of people to have access. One walks naturally back to where one starts, which is very convenient.

In terms of energy utilization, the fresh air system in the Memorial allows visitors to feel the wind of four seasons. To maximize the sunlight that comes into the building, the designers from Denmark and Singapore conducted a lot of advance optical tests in the design of the open-plan hall on the first floor to ensure more than half of the illumination inside the building is natural lighting all year round.

CNS: What kind of Olympic spirit does this memorial convey?

Wu Jingguo: Mr. Samaranch once gave me four pieces of advice: "Find loyal assistants, keep exercising, take care of your career, and handle family relationships properly." This is also the wisdom and insights he gained during his time with the Olympic Committee, and I would like to make them known to all.

At the opening ceremony of this year's FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu, I saw that delegations such as Liechtenstein were made up of only one athlete, but they were greeted with thunderous applause from the audience, which was a perfect demonstration of the stance of a major country and the Olympic spirit.

I recall that Liu Changchun participated in the competitions by himself on behalf of China for the first time at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games in the United States. The Ta Kung Pao wrote: "A Chinese athlete took part in the Games single-handedly this time. China is in a difficult time now. We hope you press ahead with great courage and we hope that our descendants will not suffer from adversities in the future." From that moment on, a deep bond has developed between China and the Olympics, and their connection will never end.

During the past decade, the Samaranch Memorial has actively participated in international cultural exchanges among museums, and it has attended the annual meeting of the Olympic Museums Network every year. It has also planned diversified thematic exhibitions in different categories and provided a platform for cultural exchanges for communities, nursing homes and special groups.

Every year, the Memorial also attracts scholars and university students from both sides of the Taiwan Straits to come here for exchanges and studying, building a bridge connecting the two sides of the Straits in a closer relationship of amity and unity.

While promoting the integration of sports with culture and education, the Samaranch Memorial conveys the Olympic spirit of pushing the boundaries, the belief in transcending time and space, and the dream of making sports accessible to people in all corners of the world. [End]

About the interviewee:

Wu Jingguo (Wu Ching-Kuo), born in Chongqing in 1946 and now settled in Taiwan, was a former executive member of the International Olympic Committee, the founder and curator of the Samaranch Memorial, and the founder and curator of the Olympic Museum in Dagang, Tianjin. He is the author of books including Athletics Outside the Olympic Stadium—Wu Jingguo's Pledge of the Five Rings and The Olympics and China.