Lithuanian Postage Stamps Issued on the Occasion of PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games
On the occasion of winter Olympic Games taking place in PyeongChang, South Korea, Lithuania Post has issued two new postage stamps.
The series of postage stamps “XXIII Winter Olympic Games” already contains postage stamps that commemorate two branches of sport, namely, curling and short track speed skating. The circulation of the postage stamps with a nominal value of EUR 0.84 and EUR 0.94 amounts to 30,000 each. The postage stamps were created by a painter Jekaterina Budrytė.
“The postage stamps catch the attention by their range of colour. The dominating blue reveals the restrained and cold background of winter Olympic Games best. To highlight the figures depicted in the postage stamps I used the colours that mean energy and power. In short, the colours chosen and used are the result of a long search,” the painter of the postage stamps Ms Budrytė noted.
Curling is a team type winter Olympic sports dating back to the 16th century and originating in Scotland. It is most popular in Canada, the USA, Norway, and Sweden. The aim of the game is slide stones on a sheet of ice on a rectangular ice-field so that they approach the target as closely as possible. The establishment of the Lithuanian Curling Association in 2002 opened the window of opportunities to those, who love this sport, and enabled them to participate in various international tournaments.
Short track speed skating is one of the Olympic sports and a form of competitive ice speed skating. At the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games, Lithuania was represented by Agnė Sereikaitė. She is the first Lithuanian representative of this branch of sport in the Olympic Games. Due to a trauma she suffered in the qualification match in Seoul, the candidate of Lithuania’s delegation will not take part in the XXIII Winter Olympic Games.
Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event held once every four years and have been organised since 1924. The first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France. More than 200 athletes from 16 countries competed in six branches of sport, namely, speed skating, skiing, Nordic Combined, ski jumping, curling and bobsleigh.
Lithuania Post releases 25-27 postage stamps annually. It also provides courier, logistical and financial intermediation services.
