The inventory of the Olympics Office (inventario dell’Ufficio Olimpiadi) is now available online. The Office, set up in 1959 within the then General Directorate of Cultural Relations (DGRC) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the task of managing the affairs relating to the international aspects of the organisation of the Rome 1960 Olympic Games, was operational, under the leadership of Ludovico Barattieri, until September 1960. The inventory, edited by Dr. Isabella Proia, enhances the documentation divided into 10 envelopes dating back to the years 1957-1960.
For obvious reasons, the correspondence with the Organising Committee of the 17th Olympic Games, chaired by Giulio Andreotti, the then Minister of Defence, is particularly copious. The main issues dealt with by the DGRC’s Olympics Office was the management of the invitations sent to the 97 participating countries through their foreign Missions; the distribution of illustrative and promotional material to the Missions; the creation – jointly with the Ministry of the Interior and SIFAR – of the so-called “Olympic card’” for participants, a special identity card that was given – to all intents and purposes – the same validity as a passport, in order to simplify the entry and stay procedures in Italy for the delegations of the different countries, and which had to be validated in the country of origin.
The Office also dealt with international relations, protocol and customs matters. Besides the Olympic Games, the Office also followed matters concerning various international sporting events, not necessarily related to them. The archival collection, although small in size, is particularly rich in annexes of historical and cultural relevance, such as maps, photographs, press cuttings, brochures and publications. The gallery that accompanies the article shows some of these interesting documents, such as two examples of tourist material, one in Italian and one in French, that was distributed to promote the event, provide advice on how to organise the trip to Italy and give information on the road network and air connections, or a dossier from the Organising Committee of the 17th Olympic Games containing the regulations of the sports event.
Particularly interesting is a report by the Head of the Office, Barattieri, dated 15 September 1960, in which all the activities carried out by the Office from the time of its establishment to the time of its closure are described.
