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17.11.2016
On the eve of the 98th anniversary of the Latvian State Latvijas Pasts releases three new stamps in the series Republic of Latvia – 100. The eighth issue of the stamps in this series is related to the sports theme, and the stamps are dedicated to the outstanding Latvian athletes in three sports: javelin throw, basketball and ice hockey. The first day cancellation of the stamps is scheduled to take place in the Post Centre Sakta, 32 Brīvības Boulevard, Riga from 8 AM to 7 PM on the 17th of November 2016.
The new stamps feature the athletes who have played a key role in shaping the history of Latvian sports and contributed to national athletic achievements. Each of the three new stamps has a different face value, and the print run of each stamp is 80,000 copies. The release of the stamps is accompanied by the issue of a special cover with a print run of 1,500 copies. The stamp series Republic of Latvia – 100 has been designed by the artist Elita Viliama.
The stamp with a face value of €0.50 is dedicated to the Olympic champions in javelin throw Inese Jaunzeme (1932–2011), Jānis Lūsis and Dainis Kūla. I.Jaunzeme won a gold medal in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne (Australia), and it was the first Olympic gold in the history of Latvian sports. J.Lūsis won bronze in the 1964 Olympics in Tokio (Japan) and claimed gold in Mexico City (Mexico) four years later. He also won silver in the 1972 Olympics in Munich (Germany). D.Kūla became a gold medallist in the 1980 Olympics in Moscow (Russia).
The stamp depicting the Olympic champions in javelin throw is suitable for sending a regular Class B letter within Latvia.
The stamp with a face value of €0.57 depicts two legendary Latvian basketball players – Uļjana Semjonova and Jānis Krūmiņš (1930–1990). U.Semjonova is one of the world’s best basketball players: she is a ten-time European champion, three-time world champion and two-time Olympic champion. During his sports career J.Krūmiņš won three silver medals in the Olympic Games and was a three-time European champion and three-time European Cup winner.
The face value of this stamp corresponds to the cost of sending a regular Class A letter within Latvia.
The stamp with a face value of €1.42 portrays the most outstanding Latvian hockey players: Helmuts Balderis, Artūrs Irbe, Sandis Ozoliņš, Kārlis Skrastiņš (1974–2011) and Sergejs Žoltoks (1972–2004).
H.Balderis is a three-time world and European champion and an Olympic vice champion. In 1998 he was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation’s Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Canada. A.Irbe played in four National Hockey League (NHL) teams and is a two-time world champion, European champion and European vice champion. During his career K.Skrastiņš played for four NHL clubs and participated in three Olympic tournaments as well as nine world championships as a member of the Latvian national team. S.Ozoliņš is the first and only Latvian hockey player who won the NHL Stanley Cup and during his NHL career he participated in the All-Star Game seven times. S.Žoltoks played in NHL clubs for ten seasons and took part in six World Championships as a member of the Latvian national hockey team.
The face value of the stamp depicting the hockey players corresponds to the cost of sending a registered Class A letter within Latvia.
The newest stamps in the series Republic of Latvia – 100, which are dedicated to the most outstanding Latvian athletes, are available for viewing here.
The series of stamps Republic of Latvia – 100 was launched in 2009 in preparation for the centenary of the Republic of Latvia. Three new stamps dedicated to the events or personalities significant to Latvia are issued as part of this series every year. The stamps released so far include the ones dedicated to the origins of the Republic of Latvia, the national symbols of Latvia as well as the history of Latvian writing, seafaring, music, fine arts and architecture. It is planned to make new additions to the series until 2018, the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Latvia.
The stamps in the series Republic of Latvia – 100 that have been issued to date can be viewed here.
The next philatelic release by Latvijas Pasts is scheduled for the 25th of November.
About SJSC Latvijas Pasts
Latvijas Pasts ensures the widest availability of postal services throughout Latvia by maintaining more than 600 post offices. The primary function of the company is provision of the universal postal service; Latvijas Pasts also provides commercial transport, express mail, payment, press subscription, retail and philatelic services. Latvijas Pasts is a wholly State-owned company with more than 4,200 employees. The quality measurements of Latvijas Pasts domestic mail deliveries are regularly conducted by TNS Latvia, one of the leading market, social and media research agencies in Latvia. In turn, the quality measurements of the cross-border deliveries are provided within the framework of the International Post Corporation through the intermediary of the research companies TNS, Ipsos and Quotas.
Additional information:
Vineta Danielsone
Public Relations Specialist
Phone: +371 67608504
E-mail: pr@pasts.lv; vineta.danielsone@pasts.lv
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