Cartoonists' views of Games past

Prayers appear to have been answered and the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games looks like it will be a dry affair. Yet Lord Coe will be hoping events do not pan out like they did at the London Games in 1948, as shown in one of several Olympic cartoons going on display.

Back then the athletics were blighted by rain, which Ronald Niebour captured in his artwork published in the Daily Mail 64 years ago. It is among several pieces selected from the British Cartoon Archive to go on display at Herne Bay Museum, giving Kent another reason to get into the Olympic spirit.

The images are on show until Sunday, September 2. Admission £2, children free. Call 01227 367368.

Carl Giles (top of page)

Sunday Express, September 4, 1960

The Rome Olympic games opened on August 26, 1960, and were not a great success for the British team. By the time that this cartoon appeared the situation was very sobering, for the British squad of 253 athletes had won just two medals over the first four days of track and field events. Some journalists blamed the summer heat in Rome and the fact that the British team had not been given time to acclimatise, but Giles’ television viewer puts the blame squarely on the athletes.

NEB (Ronald Niebour)

Daily Mail, August 7, 1948

The 1948 London Olympics were the first to be held for 12 years, and, because of rationing and the post-war economic climate, they came to be known as the “austerity games”. The weather was also depressing – although the opening ceremony on July 29 took place in bright sunshine, this quickly changed to gales and rain. On the day Niebour drew this cartoon, there was continuous rain across Britain and it was set to continue.

Trog (Wally Fawkes)

Observer, September 10 1972

On September 5, a group of eight Palestinian terrorists broke into the Munich Olympic Village and took hostage nine Israeli athletes, coaches and officials. Two of the hostages were killed almost immediately and the remainder died when police attempted to rescue them later the same day. The sporting events were halted for 24 hours, but the president of the IOC declared that “the Games must go on” and they had restarted by the time that Trog drew his cartoon of athletes and coffins.