Description
The first world games were held in Santa Clara, USA in 1981. The subsequent games were hosted by London, England; Karlsruhe, Germany; the Hague in the Netherlands; Lahti, Finland; Akita, Japan; and Duisburg, Germany. The eighth World Games will be held in Kaohsiung from July 16 to 26, 2009. To commemorate this grand sporting event, Chunghwa Post issued a set of two stamps and a souvenir sheet featuring the Kaohsiung Arena and the Main Stadium for the World Games. The designs of the stamps follow:
1. Kaohsiung Arena (NT$5.00): This modernistic gym is equipped with standard Olympic facilities, making it a
great venue for basketball and volleyball games as well as 200-meter races in indoor track and field. On the lower right of the stamp are the mascots of the World Games 2009 Kaohsiung: Kao Mei and Syong Ge. Dressed in red and blue respectively, these “water spirit” babies have a water drop for a head. Their bodies will light up after absorbing solar energy with the little spheres on their heads. The design reflects a concern for international issues such as green energy and environmental protection.
2. The Main Stadium for the World Games (NT$12.00): The Main Stadium was built to the standards of an IAAF (the International Association of Athletics Federations) Class I certified international sports stadium. The open-air design does away with the need for air conditioning. This avant-garde architecture will be the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the World Games 2009 Kaohsiung. On the lower right of the stamp is the games’ logo — a stylized Chinese character Kao (as in Kaohsiung), “written” in a colorful and rhythmic flowing ribbon, resembling the beautiful shapes of athletes in competition. The design aims to convey the concepts of “harmony, friendship, rhythm, flight, progress and joy.”
By-issues
(1) First Day Cover to be sold at NT$ 2.00 apiece.
(2) First Day Cover in large size to be sold at NT$ 3.00 apiece.
(3) Folder especially prepared for the stamps to be sold at NT$ 5.00 apiece.
(4) Folder with crystal mount for better protection of the stamps to be sold at NT$ 5.00 apiece.
(5) Folder with crystal mount for better protection of a souvenir sheet stamps to be sold at NT$ 8.00 apiece.
(6) Loose-leaf stamp album page with plastic cover to be sold at NT$ 16.00 apiece.
(7) Maximum cards to be sold at NT$25.00 a set.
(8) Pre-cancelled First Day Cover affixed with one NT$5.00-denominated stamp to be sold at NT$ 7.00 apiece.
(9) Pre-cancelled First Day Cover affixed with a complete set of stamps to be sold at 19.00 apiece.
(10) Pre-cancelled First Day Cover affixed with a souvenir sheet to be sold at NT$ 20.00 apiece.
(11) Pre-cancelled maximum cards to be sold at NT$42.00 a set.
(12) Stamp folio to be sold at NT$100.00 apiece.
To purchase the relative philatelic products, please go directly to the post office branches, or order on line at http://stamp.post.gov.tw.