The Olympic Oval at the University of Calgary unveiled a permanent gallery Friday, showcasing nearly every Winter Olympic torch from Calgary’s 1988 games to Beijing in 2022.
Once carrying Olympic flames across continents, the “Excellence in Motion” exhibit now has them all under one roof in Calgary.
But what makes this exhibit unique is the story behind the torches.
Calgary resident Usman Jutt, a lifelong Olympic fan, spent years tracking down rare torches from games around the world.
“We’re in Calgary — the 88 Games — and I was able to pick up my first one, and then from there I thought, you know, can’t just have one, let’s go after the Canadian games,” he told Citynews.
“I picked up the Vancouver one, and then I thought, hey, Montreal with ’76. I went and found that.”
Jutt says the torches symbolize more than sport; they represent unity, perseverance and moments the world shared together.
Instead of keeping them private, he donated them so anyone could experience that history.
“It’s not mistaken upon me that we’re not only at the Olympic Oval; we’re at a post-secondary institution, we’re at a university,” Jutt said.
“It is deliberate for me to have this here so that students can come from their lunch break, from a class and be inspired by what they have here.”
Out of the many torches collected, Jutt says the Calgary torch has a special place in his heart. However, the one from the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics in Norway is his favourite.
“The Lillehammer one is a lit one. You’ll not find one like that that’s not completely burned. Because the designers failed to recognize that when you’re carrying a flame, it probably shouldn’t be made of wood,” he said at a press conference.
“So this one is a lit one that isn’t completely burned. So this one is quite rare.”
The exhibit is permanent and free for anyone to check out at the Olympic Oval at the University of Calgary.