After the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, the US and Britain initiated a boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympic games. New Zealand supported the move and asked its athletes to stay away. Four refused and competed at the games anyway, although none won any medals. This cartoon highlights some of the measures the government introduced to dissuade athletes from going, including the denial of special leave for public servants and the withdrawal of embassy support in Moscow.
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Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference:
A-349-071
Cartoon by Nevile Lodge
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
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