The Olympics weren’t intended to be a showcase of professionals, whether athletes or artists; they were originally meant to promote the talents of true amateurs in their various fields. By 1948, the competition was experiencing a huge influx of professional artists and architects. Olympic officials grew concerned that this corrupted the original spirit of the Games. After the 1948 Games, they canceled the artistic branch of the events, and the medals the Olympics had awarded artists were stricken from the records—the medals don’t count toward the winning countries’ official medal counts.
But the IOC still recognized the importance of the arts. It knew it had to include them in a meaningful way. After the 1948 Games, the IOC organized the Cultural Olympiad, a series of events presenting artistic and cultural programming leading up to and alongside both the Summer and Winter Games. These events continue to be an exciting part of the Olympics today. Most of them aren’t competitive. Instead, they engage the athletes, visitors, and audiences at home with the cultural institutions, heritage, and art the host city has to offer.