Politics & Olympics: Ideals and Realities

At the heart of the Politics & Olympics: Ideals and Realities project is an exhibition at the Free Word Centre featuring historical and contemporary photographs including previously-unseen images which highlight political aspects of the Games. The exhibition will be simultaneously staged at Newcastle Central Library and Nottingham Central Library.

The themes revealed in the exhibition will be explored through a programme of talks and discussions at the Free Word Centre, London and online at the Free Word website (www.freewordonline.com).  Contributors to Politics & Olympics hail from a wide range of backgrounds, including urbanists, freedom of expression campaigners and historians; all exploring the bonds between the biggest global sporting occasion and contemporary affairs - and the shortcomings of IOC's ostensibly restrictive approach to external debate.