10 Reasons to Visit the Sports and Olympic Museum with Family:

3…2….1…. TO THE MUSEUM! You definitely cannot miss a visit to Europe's most modern sports experience centre! Here are 10 unique reasons for you to visit us.

1. EUROPEAN MUSEUM OF THE YEAR 2024 NOMINEE, THE SPORTS MUSEUM OFFERS A LOT TO DISCOVER FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY – for both younger and older members of the family!

Welcome to the largest sports experience centre in the Baltics, the most modern in the Nordic countries, and a nominee for the European Museum of the Year 2024, where both young and old sports lovers will have fun! We offer the joy of discovery for the whole family: during an activity-packed and educational visit, everyone will feel like a winner! See in the video what you can do when visiting us!

2. VIRTUAL TOUR AND AUDIO GUIDE - DIGITAL BUDDY

The discovery of the permanent exhibition at the sports museum is made even more exciting by the Digital Buddy web application! There are many fascinating sports stories throughout history, and unfortunately, not all of them can fit within the museum walls. Coming to aid as audio guides are renowned athletes who share additional stories to complement the exhibition. Hosting the audio guide in Estonian is Rasmus Mägi, the Estonian Male Athlete of the Year 2021! In English, basketball player Howard Frier helps explore the museum, in Russian, Olympic champion Julia Beljajeva, in Latvian, Latvia's best heptathlete Laura Ikauniece, and in Ukrainian, Ukrainian basketball team member Andrii Voinalovych.

3. INTERACTIVE EXHIBITION "ARENA OF MARTIAL ARTS"

The brand-new exhibition "Arena of Martial Arts" highlights the representation of martial arts in Estonia and around the world; where martial arts have originated and what their history of formation, values, ethics, pop culture, and much more entail. Naturally, as characteristic of the sports museum, the exhibition will also feature several experiential attractions!

4. COOL ATTRACTIONS

3? 7? 10? The sports museum has more than 15 interactive attractions that you simply have to try at least once in your life! Whether it's a bobsled ride, descending from the Tehvandi ski jump tower using virtual reality glasses or training in the historical gym.

 

5. THE PERFECT LOCATION

The Sports Museum is located in the centre of Tartu: just a few minutes' walk from the Town Hall square. Check out the video on how to come to us!

6. A DAY FULL OF ACTIVITIES – time flies when you’re having fun!

The average family with children stays in our experience centre for about 2 hours, 1 minute and 39 seconds. This is as much as the current world record for marathon running. Go through a unique marathon with exciting hands-on activities at the Sports Museum, and we guarantee that at the end of your visit you will be proud to look at the numbers on your activity monitor!

 

7. ESTONIAN SPORTS HALL OF FAME

One of the grandest rooms in the Sports Museum, which is a special tribute to Estonia's most influential and famous sportsmen and sports influencers of all time. On the wall-sized screen, you can see the exploits of our heroes in a video image, and the spotlight that illuminates the dark room highlights the plaque and personal item of the athlete that you decide to highlight from the console at the moment!

8. GREAT SOUVENIRS IN THE MUSEUM SHOP

What is the first thing you think of when you hear the phrases "Sometimes lose, always win!" or "For clean sport!"? Anyway, we're thinking about socks and a sauna towel - in our cool museum shop you can find many clever and humorous souvenirs. Come and choose your favourite!

9. 158 141 SIGNIFICANT ITEMS

As of January 1, 2024, the Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum has a total of 158,141 museum objects, of which nearly 5,000 have been made visible to all our guests. Each item on display tells its own story: whether it's Gerd Kanter's Beijing Olympic gold medal in the discus throw, a fragment of the crystal trophy won by the Tallinna Kalev basketball team with the USSR championship in 1991, or the discus, the training tool of the top athlete of the time, who took this with him when fighting in World War II. Come see for yourself!

 

10. AWARD-WINNING MUSEUM EDUCATION

For the Sports Museum, knowledge and various educational programs are very important, the content of which is also reflected in the current hands-on permanent exhibition "The Story of Estonian Sports". As a reward for our dedicated work in educational activities, we have also received the Museum Rat 2017 "Promoter of Museum Education of the Year" award. Naturally, before your visit, you can also book an excursion during which you will get to know the history of Estonian sports in even more exciting and in-depth nuances. Power lies in knowledge!