Olympex 2012: Collecting the Olympic Games

A show of Olympic memorabilia from collections in Britain and Europe, ranging from a 1908 swimming costume to the finishing tape broken by marathon runner Dorando Pietri. The display, which is presented by the British Library and the International Olympic Committee, focuses on the London Games of 1908, 1948 and 2012, tracing the iconography of the Games through objects including stamps, postcards, posters and artwork. There are also audio interviews with Olympians from the British Library's archives, including William Roberts, a relay runner who took part in 1936 Berlin Olympics, Sandy Duncan, runner and later general secretary of British Olympic Association, and Dorothy Tyler, a medal-winning high jumper who competed in the 1936 and 1948 Olympics. Visitors are invited to create their own Olympic souvenir by mailing an item to receive an Olympic postmark, at the Olympex Collectors' Cabin on the British Library's piazza.