Scottish legends open Museum of World Athletics exhibition in Glasgow
Written by I Dig SportsHeritage presentation is open to the public until the close of the World Indoor Championships on March 3
Allan Wells, Yvonne Murray-Mooney, Tom McKean and Eilidh Doyle were among the guests in Glasgow on Friday (Feb 2) for the official opening of the Museum of World Athletics exhibition that is set to coincide with the World Indoor Championships at the Emirates Arena on March 1-3.
The event saw the unveiling of the World Indoor Championships medals with a thistle inspired event brand, complemented by a selection of Glasgow landmarks around its outer rim, giving athletes a little piece of the city to remember their triumph.
The 1980 Olympic 100m champion Wells and 1993 world indoor champions Murray-Mooney (3000m) and McKean (800m) together with more recent 400m hurdles star Doyle were on hand to see the medals, as all four presented precious articles of competition kit to go on display in the exhibition.
Doyle said: As an athlete it is always exciting when the medals are revealed as you know the championships are getting close, so it creates a real buzz. And when you see them for real, it really makes you want one sand spurs you on that little bit more.
The exhibition is being staged at the St Enoch Centre in Glasgow from now until the end of the championships.
The one-month long exhibition features World Athletics Heritages collection of indoor athletics competition artefacts dating from the 1880s with clothing, shoes, equipment, trophies and medals.
The exhibits are supported by giant wall graphics, text, photographs, and videos which take the visitor on a journey from the worlds first indoor meeting in 1849 to the present day.
Appropriately, given the exhibitions location, the displays have a distinctly Scottish feel. As well as the competition items which the guests of honour provided at the opening ceremony, running spikes from Scottish world champions Liz McColgan (Tokyo 1991) and Jake Wightman (Oregon 2022) are also on show.
Life-sized photographs of Scotlands two Olympic 400m champions Wyndham Halswelle (London 1908) and Eric Liddell (Paris 1924) adorn the windows and walls of the exhibition. Greeting visitors at the entrance is a large photograph of Laura Muir winning the first half of a 3000m and 1500m double at the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow in 2019.
The MOWA Indoor Athletics Exhibition Glasgow 24 on the ground floor of the St Enoch Centre, 55 St Enoch Square, Glasgow G1 4BW, is open daily to the public from 11am to 6pm until March 3.