The modern Olympics started at Athens, Greece, way back in 1896 from April 6 to 15. The second summer Olympics were held at Paris from May 20 to October 28 in 1900. The second time it was held at May 4 till July 27, 1924. The third time, this year, the Olympics will be held at Paris, from July 26 till August 11. Prior to this, it was held in London thrice (1908, 1948 and 2012).
The original Olympic Motto is made up of three Latin words: Citius-Altius-Fortius. These words mean Faster - Higher - Stronger. A First day cover with the Olympic Motto as a cachet in a First Day cover was released by the Department of Posts, Govt of India during the Atlanta Olympics Games held during 1996 also with an Olympic Torch. The theme was from Athens to Atlanta.
History of Olympic Torch
First used at the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics, the modern torches of the Summer Olympics are built to resist the effects of wind and rain as they carry the Olympic flame, and bear unique designs that represent the host country and the spirit of the Games.
Meaning of Olympic Rings
The Olympic symbol expresses the activity of the Olympic Movement and represents the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games.
Founder of Olympic Games
Founder of Olympic Games, Le Baron Pierre de Coubertin, on a First Day cover as a cachet along with the two stamps depicting five Olympic Rings in five different colours in setenant stamps was released by Department of Posts, Canada during the Montreal Olympics of 1976.
India in Olympics
India first participated at the Olympic Games in 1900, with a lone athlete Norman Pritchard winning two medals – both silver – in athletics and became the first Asian nation to win an Olympic medal. The nation first sent a team to the Summer Olympic Games in 1920 and has participated in every Summer Games since then. India has won 35 medals at the Olympics, with 12 of those being for team sports. There have been 222 actual physical medals handed to Indians. The successful men's hockey teams of 1928-1936 and 1948-64 have won multiple medals, although the number of Indians who have more than one medal in individual sports are just a handful. Dhyan Chand has participated in 1928, 1932 and 1936 three consecutive times in Field Hockey and won three Golds. It would have been more had the Olympics not paused for war (1940 and 1944 because of the Second World War). Dhyan Chand's legacy in Indian sport is unmatched, as is his incredible ball control and goal-scoring feats, which are backed up by numbers. In 12 games across three Olympics, he scored 33 goals. A stamp on Dhyan Chand was released on December 3, 1980. A first day cover on the same by the Department of Posts, Govt. Of India.
Montreal Olympics 1976
A First Day Cover was released by the Department of Posts, Govt of India during Montreal (1976) Olympics.
Moscow Olympics 1980
One of the most controversial Olympics was held in Moscow in 1980, which was boycotted by the USA and its allies because of the USSR occupation of Afghanistan. A first day cover of the Moscow Olympics was released by the Department of Posts, Govt of India.
Los Angeles Olympics 1984
A First Day cover released by the Department of Posts, Govt of India during Los Angeles Olympics (1984). The cover was carried with the 4th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica during the Los Angeles (1984) Olympics.
Barcelona, Spain 2004
A set of four mint stamps on wrestling, shooting, field hockey and jumping of the 28th Olympics held at Barcelona, Spain in 2004 was released by the Department of Posts, Govt of India in 2004.
Beijing Olympics 2008
A miniature sheet with four stamps depicting Olympic torch, archery, boxing and shooting etc was released by the Department of Posts, Govt India, during the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
London 2012
Two sets of Maxicards of London 2012 was released in 2012.
Rio Olympics 2016
A miniature Sheet depicting four Olympic Games during the Rio Olympics Games of 2016 was released by the Department of Posts, Govt of India.
Tokyo Olympics 2020
A record number of stamps were released by Japan for the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Three sets of 75 Mint stamps displaying all the disciplines of Olympic Games was released by the Department of Posts, Japan during Tokyo Olympics 2020 which were held in 2021 for the first time, because of the Covid Pandemic.
Indian medal wins at the Olympics
At the 2020 Summer Olympics, India was represented by a new record number of 124 athletes. Saikhom Mirabai Chanu secured a silver in the weightlifting women's category of 49 kg on the opening day, the first time India won a medal on the opening day of any Olympics. A few days later, P V Sindhu defeated China's He Bingiao in the Women’s singles badminton bronze-medal match in straight games, thus becoming the first Indian woman to win two individual Olympic medals.. Neeraj Chopra won the gold in Javelin Throw, becoming the first Indian to win a gold medal in track and field and the second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold. In Men's Field Hockey, India won a bronze medal. This medal came after a gap of 41 years, having last won a gold medal in Moscow 1980. In the wrestling competitions, Ravi Kumar Dahiya won a silver medal and Bajrang Punia won a bronze medal. Olympic debutant Lovlina Borgohain took bronze in women's boxing. She became only the second woman to win an Olympic medal in boxing. The haul of seven medals is the best performance by India at the Olympics so far.
(Dr M R Ramesh Kumar is a Chief Scientist (Retd) from National Institute Oceanography, Dona Paula. He is also a senior philatelist at the Goa Philately and Numismatics Society, Goa.)