Not my colours

What does it really mean to belong – as an athlete, a citizen, or a human being? The exhibition Not My Colours explores how national symbols shape identity in sport. They can create pride, community and hope – but also lead to pressure, exclusion and conflict.

Through stories from the history of sport, the exhibition shows how flags, anthems and nationalism influence who gets to represent whom. Here, you will encounter athletes who have competed under different flags, under a neutral flag – or with no flag at all. You will meet refugee athletes, sports stars who against their will became national symbols, and institutions that use flags both to include and to punish.

Politics, migration, war and power have always shaped sport. Not My Colours focuses on the people caught in the tension between sport and nation – and the choices they are forced to make.

The exhibition invites reflection on questions that are rarely asked out loud: What happens when sport demands that you choose a single identity? What is it like to stand on the podium to the sound of an anthem you do not identify with? And ultimately: Can the Olympic Games exist without national symbols?