Sport is crucial to Switzerland’s economy. At 1.7%, it contributes more to the country’s gross domestic product than agriculture, generating a gross value add of CHF 11.4 billion. This has also become evident through the coronavirus crisis during which the financial significance of sport has suddenly sprung into the public eye. The postponement of the Summer Olympics to 2021, for example, will result in additional costs of USD 2.7 billion. The recent discussions regarding the cancellation of the Swiss Football Championship are also still fresh in the public memory.
Sport and Its Financial Aspects
The Swiss Finance Museum has decided to highlight the financial aspects of the sports world (including those relating to the coronavirus), and is dedicating its largest special exhibition to date, covering 100 square meters, to the subject. Curators Andrea Weidemann and Simone Kobel from the Swiss Finance Museum explore the theme using three exhibition elements: collages, historical securities and real, unusual sporting articles. Financial key figures of Formula 1, tennis, equestrian sports, football and skiing are presented in the form of a collage. These are designed to educate visitors, illustrating for example that in Formula 1 it is not necessarily the world champion’s racing team that gets the most prize money. Likewise, tennis players have to cover substantial costs themselves. The most expensive horse in the world was sold for the eye-watering sum of USD 64 million. The transfer market for soccer is at an all-time high, and ski race operators have recently started suffering losses.
Twelve selected historical securities from near and far for these sports also lead the visitor through the history of the sports business. The displays are part of the world’s largest and most important collection of historical securities. The special exhibition also highlights the effects of the coronavirus crisis on sport. Each part of the exhibition is enhanced using real, unusual, 3D sporting articles, multimedia installations and an extended, free smart phone audio guide.
The “Sports & Money” special exhibition will be on show at the Swiss Finance Museum until summer 2021. At the same time, it is still possible to visit the existing permanent exhibition. This brings to life the origins of the global economic system, the role of the stock exchange and the history of the Swiss financial center.
If you plan a visit, you can download the multimedia smart phone audio app on the museum’s website.
Learn more about the museum and the permanent and special exhibitions on the website of the Swiss Finance Museum.
In 2017 we reported on the new opening of the museum, in 2019 already the Swiss Finance Museum was nominated for the European Museum of the Year Award.
