COLORADO SPRINGS — With so many Americans looking for what to rally behind, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum felt it was important to step forward during this pandemic.
"The show must go on, the Toyko Games didn't this summer but the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum is open for business and we're proud of it," USOPM Board Member & four-time Olympian, Hunter Kemper said.
Seven weeks into their grand opening in downtown Colorado Springs, the venue has been laser-focused on two areas: A true Olympic experience and keeping visitors safe in the midst of COVID-19.
"We certainly pivoted at the beginning of COVID and started making adjustments as early as February to ensure we would have a safe and compelling experience for all of our guests," Chief Communications & Business Affairs Officer, Peter M. Maiurro said.
A true state-of-the-art undertaking, the museum features timed-ticketing, mask and temperature check requirements, complimentary stylus to keep a hands-on feel, and even RFID technology in each credential, to monitor social distancing in all 13 galleries throughout the venue.
"We're really able to work hand-and-hand with the organizers, to really create, from the public health perspective, the ideal experience in infection control," Deputy Medical Director of El Paso County Public Health Department, Leon Kelly said.
While the world waits for a hopeful return to the summer games. Right now, there's still plenty of Stars and Stripes to soak in. A bit closer and safer to home in Southern Colorado.
"The feedback has been enormously positive, very compelling, very exciting, and very impressed with the safety measures we've implemented," Maiurro said.
