This story is from July 25, 2021

Mumbai: A treasure of Olympic artefacts at Santacruz businessman’s home

As the Tokyo Olympics got under way Friday, one sports fan in Mumbai brought out his prized collection of Olympic memorabilia that is the envy of fellow collectors.
Mumbai: A treasure of Olympic artefacts at Santacruz businessman’s home
Nikunj Shah, a businessman based in Santacruz
MUMBAI: As the Tokyo Olympics got under way Friday, one sports fan in Mumbai brought out his prized collection of Olympic memorabilia that is the envy of fellow collectors.
Through the year, the artefacts are kept in a special room with proper temperature control, and brought out periodically to be dusted and cleaned.
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Nikunj Shah, a businessman based in Santacruz, owns an assortment of eleven Olympic relay torches, a rare gold medal won by our Indian hockey team in Melbourne in 1956, its booklet, a bib and baton used by Usain Bolt and participant medals of most Olympic ceremonies.

His most cherished possession is the gold medal India won under Balbir Singh’s hockey team in 1956. “I bought it at an auction. I cannot divulge who put it on the market because the player or his family may feel jeopardised,” Shah says.
Shah became interested in badminton and table tennis during his student years in MMK College. “But it was only when I visited the Athens Olympic Games in 2004 that I developed an interest in memorabilia. Since then I have gone in 2008 and 2012 as well. I have sourced numerous artefacts by cultivating a network of professional and amateur collectors,” says Shah. The collector’s portfolio extends to a treasure trove of items commemorating man’s first landing on the moon, the
Apollo mission.
“I wish I could have attended the Olympic Games as a spectator this time too. But it is closed to the viewing gallery, and is a TV-only event. I am hoping to at least source some collector’s items. So far no announcements have been made,” he says.
Shah has spent approximately Rs 1 crore in building this hoard which is sourced from his network of friends, relatives and other collectors. He says he plans to install the items in a gallery in his new home in Khar. “My wife is supportive of my hobby and it is our dream that sports lovers get to see our treasure,” he says.
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