Digital Edition – 1980 Soviet Olympic Poster – Relay Race – Japanese Artists – Kawadu, Matsumoto, Ishinosawa, Kishimoto

A high-resolution digital edition of one of the most historically charged posters from the 1980 Moscow Olympics — designed by a collective of four Japanese artists: Kawadu Hideo, Matsumoto Shigeo, Ishinosawa Harutomo, and Kishimoto Ken. Download instantly and print at your preferred size and paper stock.

The image is kinetic and immediate: a motion-blurred relay baton exchange captures the raw speed and tension of the track in a style that owes as much to Japanese graphic modernism as to Soviet sports poster tradition. A genuinely hybrid object — Soviet in its production and purpose, Japanese in its visual sensibility.

The historical irony is impossible to ignore. Japan was among the countries that joined the US-led boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics — meaning the artists who designed this poster never saw their work displayed at the Games their own nation refused to attend.

Publication Details
Artists: Kawadu Hideo, Matsumoto Shigeo, Ishinosawa Harutomo, Kishimoto Ken (Japan)
Year: 1980
Publisher: Izdatelstvo Plakat (Plakat Publishing House), Moscow
Occasion: XXII Summer Olympic Games, Moscow
Origin: USSR (Soviet Union)
Style: Japanese graphic modernism / Soviet sports poster tradition
Original Size: 44 × 66 cm (17.3 × 26.0 in)

What You Receive
1 high-resolution JPEG file
Print-ready at 300 DPI
Sized for printing at 24 × 36 in — the closest available standard size to the original format. You may print at any size — we recommend printing as close to the original proportions as possible for the most faithful reproduction.
Instant download after purchase
Personal use licence included

File Details
Format: JPEG
Resolution: 300 DPI
File Size: 24 × 36 in
Licence: Personal use only. Commercial reproduction, resale, or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

Want to own the original vintage poster? View the original here →
Prefer it ready to hang? View the framed reproduction here →
Prefer it unframed? View the unframed reproduction here →