London 2012 - Games of the XXX Olympiad

Sports and the Republic of San Marino. The Olympics and the Philatelic Issues of the Titan. A pair of intentions and a historical complicity that is renewed with M. Fontana's sheet, dedicated to the XXX edition of the most prestigious multidisciplinary sports event in the world. On April 6, 1896, the “Games of the First Olympiad of the Modern Era” were celebrated in Athens thanks to the idea, commitment and perseverance of a young French baron, Pierre Fredi de Coubertin, a great sports enthusiast. Since then, every four years, the Olympic Games have toured four continents (Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania). In the tribute to be paid with the issuance of the four stamps, the Azienda Autonoma di Stato Filatelia e Numismatica wanted to celebrate not only disciplines such as swimming, athletics and skeet shooting but also the historical origins of this great competition. In the first stamp in the series, in fact, Fontana intended to depict the Olympic flame, one of the symbols dating back to Ancient Greece, when a fire was kept burning throughout the period of celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was later reintroduced in the 1928 Olympics, and has been part of the ceremonial we all know ever since. Tradition and modernity, are the distinctive elements of this leaflet. The Olympics and Philatelic Issuances of the Titan, a relay race that proud sportsmen and collectors from every country.