Joan Rice & The Soviet Athlete

 Taken in Brighton, Sussex, on 30 August 1956, this photograph shows Joan Rice (1930-1999) jogging with Soviet athlete Igor Ilyin at Withdean Sports Arena. Joan visited the track to meet the Soviet international athletics team, who were in Britain ahead of the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. During their stay, the athletes attended a civic lunch hosted by Brighton’s deputy mayor and toured the seaside resort. Issued by United Press, the photograph captured a moment of sporting goodwill amid Cold War tensions between Britain and the Soviet Union.