A Paris exhibit shows how the Olympics mirror society, from Nazi propaganda to fighting inequalities

By SYLVIE CORBET
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — An exhibit in the French capital before this summer’s Paris Olympics shows how the games have been a “mirror of society” since the beginning of the 20th century. Historian Paul Dietschy is one of the curators. He told The Associated Press on Wednesday that “this exhibit tries to show … this relationship between ideology, power and the Olympic Games.” The exhibit at the Shoah Memorial in central Paris features photos, documents and Olympic items and film archives from the past century. It shows how the Olympic Games have widely been used by totalitarian regimes as a propaganda tool but also by athletes as a driver of change in the fight against racial inequalities. It opens to the public Friday and lasts through mid-November.