Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Monday, July 25, 2011

The Route Map for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay in the Mainland of China

Nice Postcard Showing : The Route Map for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay in the Mainland of China



Domestic leg

The torch passing through Shenzhen. China: The torch returned to China for the first time since April. The torch arrived in Sanya, Hainan on May 4 with celebrations attended by International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials and Chinese big names like Jackie Chan. The entire relay through Mainland China was largely a success with many people welcoming the arrival of the torch along the way.

Some notable incidents are:

During the Fujian run, the relay carried a cross-strait theme since the province is geographically across from Taiwan. The Beijing Organizing Committee invited people from Taiwan to witness the torch relay, but the organisers offered no further details.
On May 8, a simultaneous run of the torch was done as part of the summit on Mt. Everest.
A 28-year old man in Jiangsu known as "Tang" was arrested for spreading rumors online he would go to Nanjing (the May 27 leg) to grab the torch.
The last leg of the Fujian run was gloomily shadowed by the May 12 Sichuan earthquake. As a result, the relay began on May 14 with a moment of silence as the torch made its way through the province of Jiangxi. From May 19 through 21, the relay was suspended as the State Council designated these three days as national days of mourning for the victims in the earthquake. The relay through the province of Sichuan was postponed.
On May 23, the relay began in Shanghai. Tens of thousands gathered at the famous People’s Square and the Bund along the Huangpu River to welcome the torch. It passed through Pudong, the crown-jewel of Shanghai’s districts and PRC’s financial capital. The two-day Shanghai leg concluded in Anting, an automobile hub in Shanghai’s suburbs, and home to the city’s Formula One Shanghai International Circuit. There was no interruptions.
On June 21, the relay began in the Tibet Autonomous Region. The originally three-day run was cut short to only one day, likely due to the controversy surrounding the relay because of China's harsh response to the Lhasa riot and the other protests that swept the Tibetan plateau between March and May, and also the delay to the relay due to the devastating Sichuan earthquake. Xinhua, China's official news agency, claimed that organizations such as the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) and the Tibetan Women's Association (TWA) threatened to "sabotage" the relay, but there is no evidence to support this and it contradicts statements from the organizations themselves. Meanwhile, the other Olympic flame rejoined the Olympic flame used in the main torch relay route in Tibet after ascending Mount Everest. Zhang Qingli, the Communist Party Secretary in Tibet, drew criticism from the IOC who wrote to BOCOG, saying that they "regret the political statements" made by Zhang during the relay, after he claimed that they could "totally smash the splittist schemes of the Dalai clique".
On July 7, the torch was lit in Jiayuguan (the Western end of the Great Wall of China).
On August 3, the torch relay started in Sichuan after a devastated earthquake that killed almost 70,000 people in May. Sichuan was the last stop before returning to Beijing for the opening ceremony.
On August 8, the torch reached Beijing for the opening ceremony. After a spectacular art show and the parade of nations, the flame entered the stadium. The Olympic torch was relayed by 7 torchbearers before it was passed on to former Olympic gymnast Li Ning. Li, who was suspended by wires, then appeared to run horizontally along the top of the stadium and lit the Olympic cauldron. After it was lit, a spectacular firework show followed, signaling the official beginning of the 29th Olympiad

Saturday, July 23, 2011

UAE : 2008 Beijing Olympic Stamps

Emirates post issued Souvenir Sheet containing 4 Stamps to commemorate 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

Stamps Available for Swap, Please drop me a Line.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

UAE : The 18th Arabian Gulf Cup

To commemorate the historic victory of the UAE Football Team in the 18th Arabian Gulf Cup, Emirates Post has issued a set of commemorative stamps in two denominations (Dh. 1 and Dhs. 3), along with a souvenir sheet.



The 18th Arabian Gulf Cup - Abu Dhabi 2007
The Arabian Gulf Cup Championship generates great excitement among football lovers and fans in the Arab world in general and in the GCC in particular. This tournament attracts football teams from all GCC countries, in addition to Yemen.

The Arabian Gulf Cup championship is held once every two years. It has developed into one of the biggest football tournaments in the region, since its modest beginnings in Manama, Bahrain, generating interest among soccer lovers across the Arab world and getting wide coverage in the media.

The Gulf Cup was launched in 1968 during the Summer Olympic Games in Mexico. The countries that took part in the first tournament were Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The first championship was held in Bahrain.

As a result of the rising popularity of the event, the 18th Gulf Cup, held in the national capital of Abu Dhabi, attracted a huge number of spectators and soccer fans from across the region. The national football team of the United Arab Emirates Won this prestigious tournament for the first time in its history, unleashing waves of celebrations across the country.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

UAE Stamps : 2009 FIFA Club World Cup

Emirates Post has issued special stamps to mark the hosting of the FIFA Club World Cup played recently in Abu Dhabi. The special commemorative stamps, issued in denominations of AED 1 and AED 5.





The 2009 FIFA Club World Cup was a football tournament played from 9 December to 19 December 2009. It was the sixth FIFA Club World Cup and was played in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Australia, Japan and Portugal also placed bids to host the tournament, but Portugal later withdrew from the process.
The final was played on 19 December 2009 and was won by European champions Barcelona, who came from behind to defeat the South American entrants, Estudiantes, 2–1 after extra time. Mauro Boselli put Estudiantes ahead in the 37th minute, but Pedro equalised with one minute left in normal time before Lionel Messi scored the winning goal five minutes into the second half of extra time. This made Barcelona the first Spanish side to win the FIFA Club World Cup, and it also meant that they had won a total of six competitions in the 2009 calendar year, beating Liverpool's record five trophies won in 2001.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

UAE Stamp : 2010 Summer Youth Olympics

Emirates post issued a postage stamp to commemorate the first Youth Olympic Games. Singapore hosted the inaugural Youth Olympic Games from 14 to 26 August 2010.




These games were a smaller version of the Olympic Games where young athletes – aged between 14 and 18 years – competed in 26 sports in accordance with international standards. Events and projects closely connected to the Games included cultural and educational programs expressing the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect. Singapore competed with Moscow as a host for the Youth Olympic Games and beat Moscow in the final by 53 votes to 44. The Youth Olympic Games received some 3,200 athletes and 800 officials from the 205 National Olympic Committees.

Note: I have Few Extra Souvenir Sheets of this issue. Interested collecters can email me.