Summer exhibition 2012
Playing by the Rules: Sport and the Law exhibition
Thursday 26 July – Thursday 27 September 2012 (weekdays only)
Lobby, Second Floor
Free admission
Our major temporary exhibition this year celebrates a summer like no other for London, and the wider United Kingdom, by exploring the breadth of the relationship between sport and law.
Developed in partnership with academics from De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester and the British Association for Sport and Law (BASL), this free exhibition will be open for the whole of the Court’s summer recess in our magnificient wood-panelled Lobby space.
With a particular focus on the Olympics, the exhibition offers an introduction to how the legal profession has helped support the development and financing of sport over the years – as well as taking a look at some lawyers who have competed in a different type of court, on an Olympic stage!
Using case studies and pinpointing key moments in Olympic history, we aim to raise some of the big questions and challenges that have faced the professionalisation of sport, such as the dangers of commercialisation, balancing the rights of players, clubs and fans, and supporting equality and diversity.
Inevitably only a starting point for this extensive topic, the exhibition hopes to spark memories and debate about the issues and opportunities which have arisen from the huge growth of sport as a business.
The exhibition includes:
- The story of how the Olympic movement tentatively moved from strict rules on amateurism to today’s professional arena;
- Brief profiles of past and present ‘Team GB’ members who have also practiced in law;
- How UK court and tribunal cases involving footballers, horse trainers and boxers helped clarify the rights of sportspeople;
- An introduction to the role of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and some of the most significant cases it has heard;
- Exhibits from the 1908 and 1948 London Games, including medals and programmes (kindly loaned by ASA/British Swimming);
- Creative activites for younger children based on the topic of sport and the law;
- Commemorative gifts available from the café on the lower ground floor.
As the UK celebrates an incredible summer of sport, we hope the exhibition will inspire and inform those with a foot in either or both sport and the law, to understand more about the contribution made by the other towards a healthy, peaceful society.
Public lecture and evening viewing
On Wednesday 26 September, a panel of senior representatives from sports bodies across the United Kingdom will discuss the short, medium and long term impact of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The specially convened panel will each discuss their own aspirations for the legacy of the Games, and how it might help make healthier nations for old and young.
On the panel we have Jennie Price, Chief Executive of Sport England; Huw Jones, Chief Executive of Sport Wales; Stewart Harris, Chief Executive of Sport Scotland, and Nick Harkness, Acting Chief Exec of Sport NI. The event will begin at 5.30pm, with brief input from each of the country representatives, there will then be a comprehensive discussion with questions and observations invited from the floor, lasting until around 7pm. The discussion will be followed by a complimentary drink and a chance to view the exhibition at your leisure (until 8pm).
Please note this event has now sold out.