Celebrating the world of words

Dive into the thrilling world of the Olympics ahead of the Paris 2024 Summer Games with John Goodbody, award winning sports journalist at The Times and Sunday Times.

John will be sharing some of the iconic Olympic Moments featured in his latest publication and joining us on stage at Newark Town Hall during Newark Book Festival 2024.

The book itself, with striking, full-colour photography, rarely seen archival images and sensational reporting on the action, The Times Olympic Moments showcases the moments of heroism, triumph and controversy that continue to make the Games the centrepiece of the global sporting calendar. Featuring the most stunning records, fiercest rivalries and most dramatic upsets, these instants have changed the course of sporting history and captivated generations of fans along the way.

John Goodbody will talk through some of the 100 iconic moments from the history of the global sporting competition, including:

• Jesse Owens defies Nazi racism, Berlin, 1936
• The ‘blood in the water’ match, Melbourne, 1956
• Cassius Clay bursts onto the scene, Rome, 1960
• The ‘Fosbury flop’ revolutionises high jump, Mexico City, 1968
• Terror and tragedy as hostages killed, Munich, 1972
• Seb Coe vs Steve Ovett in middle-distance rivalry, Moscow, 1980
• Five in a row for Redgrave, Sydney, 2000
• Ennis the star of ‘Super Saturday’, London, 2012
• Simmonds surges to victory, London, 2012
• Phelps becomes the greatest Olympian, Rio de Janeiro, 2016

Interview by author Andrew Bannister.