Olympics on Philippine Stamps - 2004

Kind of Issue: Special
Denomination & Quantity:
---------------PhP 6.00 (100,000)
---------------PhP 17.00 (50,000)
---------------PhP 21.00 (50,000)
---------------PhP 22.00 (50,000)
Souvenir Sheet: PhP 22.00 (12,500)
Date of Issue: Auugust 13, 2004
Sgeet Composition: 50 (5 x 10)
Size of Stamps: 40mm x 30mm
Size of Souvenr Sheet: 60mm x 60 mm
Perforation: 14
Printing Proces: Litho - Offset (4 colors)
Paper: Imported Unwatermarked
Printer: Amstar Company, Inc.
Layout Artist: Alfonso V. Divina
Designer: Victorino Z. Serevo
Designs: Shooting, Taekwondo, Swimming, Archery and Boxing



Greece was the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games, and the first modern Olympics was also held in Greece in 1896. So it is very appropriate that the Olympics return to Greece once more.

Over 10,000 atheletes and over 5,000 team officials from 201 National Olympic Committees will participate in the 28 different sports events between August 13 and 29. There will be 301 medal ceremonies.

The Philippines has participated in 17 Olympic Games since 1924, but no Filipino athlete has yet returned home with a gold medal. In 80 years, the bounty includes only 2 silver and 7 bronze medals.

In all, 359 atheltes in 19 different sports disciplines have represented our country. The biggest contingent was the 64 athletes who went to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The smallest delelgation was made up of only 1 athlete, David Nepomuceno, who competed in the 100-meter and 200-meter events during the 1924 Paris Olympics. We skipped the 1980 Moscow Olympics following the lead of the United States in boycotting that Olympics.

The 2 silver medals we got both came from boxing. Anthony Villanueva settled for the silver in the featherweight division during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco got his silver medal in the light flyweight division during the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Swimmer, Teofilo Ildefonso brought home the first bronze medal which he won in the 200-meter breaststroke event in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. He got another bronze medal when he finished third again in the same event at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.

5 other medals were netted by tracksters Simeon Toribio and Miguel White; and boxers Jose "Cely" Villanueva, Leopoldo Serantes and Roel Velasco.

3 other Filipino athletes have also won medals, but only in demonstration/exhibition sports. Arianne Cerdena won the gold medal in ladies' bowling during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, while Stephen Fernandez and Bea Lucero each got a bronze in taekwondo during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

This year (2004), the Philippine contingent is composed of 16 atheletes; 5 in swimming, 4 in boxing, 3 in taekwondo, and 1 each in shooting, archery, track and field, and marathon. These events are the ones depicted on the 4 stamps, a souvenir sheet and 2 first day covers.