New York: To mark the start of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 today – July 23, 2021, the United Nations Postal Administration announced the release of new “Sport for Peace” stamps and souvenir sheets.
This edition of the Games was postponed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is now being held between July 23 and August 8, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan.
The United Nations Postal Administration stated it had worked closely with the International Olympic Committee in issuing these stamps and aims to promote the positive influence that sport has on humankind, as it strives for peace and international understanding.
The six stamp sheets feature the Olympic sports of Sailing ($0.55), Baseball ($1.20), Judo (CHF 1.00) Diving (CHf 1.50), Equestrian (€0.85) and Golf (€1.00).
The three souvenir sheets feature the following text in English, French and German, respectively:
“The United Nations and the International Olympic Committee share the universal values of respect, solidarity and peace and work through sport to build a more peaceful and better world. Together, they promote the Olympic truce, in a spirit of global peace, tolerance, and understanding during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
The stamps and souvenir sheets were illustrated by Satoshi Hashimoto of Japan.
The Olympic movement inspires people to contribute to a peaceful future for humankind through the educational values of sport. One of the objectives of this great international sporting event — parallel with the core values of the United Nations — is to promote peace, respect, mutual understanding and goodwill.
It may be mentioned that the United Nations is the sole entity in the world — which is neither a country nor a territory — permitted to issue postage stamps. United Nations stamps are extremely unique among stamp collectors as the Organization has the only postal authority which issues stamps in three different currencies: the United States dollar, Swiss franc and Euro.
United Nations stamps, in the appropriate currency, are only valid for postage when used on mail at the United Nations Postal Administration offices at United Nations Headquarters in New York, the Palais des Nations in Geneva and the Vienna International Centre.
– global bihari bureau
