India at XXVIII Olympiad 2004
Complete Set of 4 nos of commemorative postage stamps on the 28th Summer Olympic Games, Athens, Greece :
Issued by India
Issued on Aug 13, 2004
Issued for : The Department of Posts is proud to issue a set of four stamps on the 28th Olympics.
Design : Stamps featuring Olympic themes have been popular with collectors since the first modern Olympic games, when Greece issued 12 commemorative stamps in 1896. Since then many nations have issued stamps on the Olympic Games theme.
To honour the Olympic spirit and to reflect India’s striving towards excellence in sports, four stamps are being brought out by India Post to commemorate the 28th Olympic Games. These stamps feature the disciplines of wrestling (Rs. 5/-), shooting (Rs. 15/-), hockey (Rs. 15/-) and athletics (Rs. 5/-).
Credits :
Stamp & FDC : Kamleshwar Singh
Cancellation : Alka Sharma
Type : Se–tenant Block of 4 Stamps, Mint Condition
Colour : Multi Colour
Denomination : 500, 500, 1500 & 1500 Paise
Stamps Printed : 3 Million each
Printing Process : Photogravure
Printer : Calcutta Security Printers Ltd.
About :
- The greatest show on earth, where continents converge, nations compete, human endurance and strength extends its known limits, where history is repeated and often re-written, where the sporting spirit soars citius, altius, forteus, i.e. faster, higher, stronger, and finds echoes transcending all boundaries, of colour, race or ideology, the Olympic Games, resurrected from antiquity continues its revered tradition as a pan-global tradition in modern times.
- The ancient Olympic Games began in 776 BC, when the first athletic contest, a 170 metres foot race, was held at the sacred place of Olympia in Western Peloponnese, in honour of the Olympian Zeus, and was won by one Coroibos. The Games steadily expanded with the introduction of other races and a pentathlon event consisting of running, discuss throwing, long jump, javelin and wrestling. The original prize was the coveted olive wreath but valuable gifts followed, along with recognition for the victors who were specially honoured by their home towns and states. The prestige of the ancient Olympic Games was such that warring states would cease hostilities in order to honour the ceremonies. This is the spirit that has, in general, endured.
- The Olympic Games were banned by the Roman Emperor Theodosius-I in the 4th century AD. Revival of the games came after a long time when Baron Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937) made efforts which led to the forming of the International Olympic Committee in 1894, and the first modern Olympic Games was held in Athens in 1896. The International Olympic Committee passed a resolution in its meeting at Sorbonne (France) in 1894 that competitions be held every four years on the lines of the Greek Olympic Games, and that every nation be invited to participate in them.
- India is one of the oldest members of the International Olympic family. India‘s participation in the Olympic Games dates back to 1900, when a lone Englishman participating on behalf of India won one Silver and one Bronze medal in Athletics. Subsequently, India has regularly participated in the Olympic Games since 1920. India has the distinction of winning six Gold medals in consecutive Olympic Games in Hockey till 1956. Thereafter in the Tokyo and Moscow Olympics also gold medals in Hockey were won by India. In recent times, India won a Bronze medal in 1996 at Atlanta in Tennis through Leander Paes, and in 2000 at Sydney in Weightlifting through Karnam Malleswari. In both Atlanta and Sydney India participated in 13 disciplines. In the 28th Olympics being held in Athens from 13th to 29th August, 2004, India will be participating in 14 disciplines.
