The Bishop of Rochester, The Rt Rev Dr Michael Nazir-Ali stood up to the podium for the launch of an Olympic exhibition at Rochester’s Guildhall Museum.

Sport for All: Going for Gold in Medway is timed to coincide with the official start of the Cultural Olympiad.

The exhibition has been designed by the museum’s in-house technical team and corporate design team, and is a striking mix of unique and quirky objects, film and video installations, and interactive elements to stimulate the passion for 2012.

Visitors are invited to pose on the Winner’s podium, wear a “gold” medal, and see their image projected onto a large plasma screen.

The Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, pictured, is a successor to the “Running Bishop”, Christopher Maude Chavasse, the Rochester prelate who ran in the 1908 London Olympic Games.

A pair of 100-year-old running shorts worn by Chavasse were among the many unusual artefacts on display at Tuesday's launch.

Other exhibits include Britain’s oldest surviving gymslip, a half-size replica of the FA Cup won by the Royal Engineers in the 1875 FA Cup Final, a state-of-the-art racing bike inspired by the 2007 Tour de France, and a 230-year-old cricket bat.

Two short films were also screened highlighting Medway’s involvement with sport and the 2012 Olympics.