Centennial Olympic Games Atlanta 1996. (1996-2)

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan was founded in 1947 acceding to independence with the withdrawal of Great Britain from its Indian Empire. Its area is 801,400 square km. with a population of 117,490,00 (in 1991. The capital of Pakistan is Islamabad. The languages are Urdu, English (both - official), Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtu, Baluchi and Brahvi. The religions are Sunni Muslim 77% and Shiite Muslim 20%.
The Pakistan Olympic Association was founded in 1947 and recognised by the International Olympic Committee the same year. Pakistan first competed at the London Olympic Games in 1948. Pakistan did not attend the 1980 Moscow Games but otherwise have attended all Games since. Pakistan have not yet competed at the Olympic Winter Games.
The Olympic history of Pakistan does not start in 1948, as Pakistanis were part of the all-Indian delegations before, and mainly were players in the field hockey team.
Pakistan owes almost its entire Olympic success to one sport - field hockey. They won a medal in this sport at every celebration from 1956 through 1984, finished fourth in 1948 and 1952, fifth in 1988, and again third in 1992. In 1960 they won the gold medal, defeating India in the final and ending its 32-year Olympic wining streak. They again won the gold medal in 1968 and in 1984.
HOW THE PAKISTAN TEAM STARTED IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES:
Sports 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1984 1988 1992 TOTAL
Athletics 5 17 18 12 6 5 2 4 7 4 80 Boxing 3 4 6 4 4 2 2 4 2 4 35 Cycling 2 2 4 2 4 14 Hockey 18 11 14 15 16 13 15 16 15 15 16 64 Shooting 1 2 4 4 11 Swimming 4 2 4 10 Table Tennis 1 1 Weightlifting 2 1 3 2 1 1 2 12 Wrestling 6 7 6 2 2 2 2 3 1 31 Yachting 6 2 2 10 To Team 34 38 57 46 41 15 25 24 31 30 27 368
The Pakistan Medal count at the Olympic Games is:-
Sports Gold Silver Bronze Total
Boxing - - 1 1 Field Hockey 3 3 2 8 Wrestling - - 1 1 Total 3 3 4 10
Olympic philately started with the first Olympic Games of the modem era, in 1896. In fact, the Organising Committee lacked the funds to construct four important venues. Philately came to the rescue. A special set of 12 stamps were issued and the revenue was for the benefit of the Organising Committee. The venues were constructed, and the Games could start. Since 1896, special postal services, commemorating stamps, special cancellations and other philatelic documents were associated with all Olympic Games. Even the Games that were not celebrated (1916,1940,1944) prepared stamps, which understandably, never were issued.
Pakistan issued its first Olympic stamps in 1969, to honour its field hockey team which won a gold medal in the 1968 Mexico Games, again in 1984 for the Los Angeles Games, 1988 for the Seoul Games and finally in 1991 for the 1992 Barcelona Games Pierre do Coubertin. President. International Olympic Committee Second President of the IOC from 1896 to 1925. Honorary president of the Olympic Games. Pierre Fried, baron de Clubertin, was born on 1st January, 1863, the son of a family belonging to the old French nobility. Although destined for a military career, he decided very early on to pursue the intellectual activities he preferred.
An historian by training-making him a patriot at heart with a profound mistrust of exaggerated nationalism-his true intellectual passion and his life\'s purpose were education.
Marked by the defeat of France in 1870, he was convinced that the French educational system suffered from a fundamental flaw. Young Pierre, at the age of twenty-three decided to launch a vast movement of educational reform answering the needs of his day. The plan he proposed was one of moral and social training induced by sports behaviour. In 1888, he became secretary general of a committee for the preparation of physical exercise in education.
It was history that led him to teaching, it was history too that led him to Olympism. Based on the knowledge of a very wide range of subjects, his historical works he was the author of a boldly conceived Universal History, in four volumes-reflect the concerns of a man interested in and impressed by all civilizations. His synthesizing mind sought to capture the essence of each of them. Proportion, equilibrium and moderation is, in his view, what distinguishes the classical period from Antiquity and what his century lacks the most.
Towards the end of his life, a sportsman ever watchful over his physical condition, he still rowed on the Lake of Geneva, and it was whilst walking in Lasgrange Park in Geneva that he died, on 2nd September, 1937. He was buried in Lausanne, but his heart is preserved in a stele\' at the foot of Mount Kronion in Olympia.
Field-Hockey: Hockey is the oldest known ball and stick game. Records exist of it having been played in Persia in 2,000 BC It became so popular by the Middle Ages that it was banned in England for a time because it interfered with the practice of archery, which was the basis for national defense.
The modem game of hockey, however, was developed in England in the late 19th century. It spread throughout the British Empire, and as a result most of the dominating nations in the sport have been nations who are, or were, members of that Empire. This includes Pakistan, India, Australia, New Zealand and England.
Field-Hockey appeared on the Olympic program in 1908 and 1920. In 1928 it was held in Amsterdam and it has been an Olympic sport since then. In 1980, hockey for women was first introduced as an Olympic Sport.
Since 1948, with the exception of 1980 Pakistan participated in the Olympic field-hockey tournament, and won 8 medals, 3 of gold.
To honour the Pakistan successes in this sport, one stamp is dedicated to field-hockey. Boxing: Boxing is an ancient sport - it was contested at the ancient Olympic Games and many other sporting festivals in ancient Greece. Professional boxing has been around since the early 18th century, with a recognised list of professional champions dating from the late 1700\'s.
Boxing made its first appearance in 1904 at the St. Louis Olympic Games. All the entrants were Americans and the event doubled as the AAU Championships for that year. Boxing was again contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. In 1912, boxing could not be on the Olympic program because boxing was illegal in Sweden at that time. Since 1920, boxing has been on the program of every Olympic Games. 45 countries have won medals in boxing.
Pakistan boxers participated in all Olympic Games, with the exception of 1968. After hockey, boxing is the sport in which the large number of Pakistani athletes competed. The first Olympic medal was won by Hussein SHAH SYED, born 14.8.1964. He won a bronze medal in Seoul, in 1988, in the Middleweight class.
Wrestling: With the possible exception of athletics, wrestling is the most ancient sport to have been continuously practiced as a competitive sport. Wrestling was introduced into the ancient Olympics in 708 BC shortly after the Games recorded history begins in 776 BC Only in 1900 has wrestling not been on the Olympic programme. There are four main forms of amateur competitive wrestling practiced in the world - Greco-Roman wrestling, freestyle wrestling, judo wrestling, and sombo wrestling. Judo is considered a separate sport at the Olympics Sombo is a combination of freestyle and judo and is most popular in Russia but it has not yet been contested in the Olympics. Currently, both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling are contested at the Olympics and both have been held since 1920. Prior to that (except in 1 90~. Only one form was used, usually Greco-Roman.
Freestyle wrestling is similar to American collegiate style, or folk-style wrestling. Holds are relatively unlimited, provided they are not dangerous, and can be applied to any part of the body. Greco-Roman wrestling limits holds to the upper body.
Pakistan; wrestlers participated in all Olympic Games since 1964. After hockey and boxing, wrestling is the sport in which the Pakistan athletes competed most. The first Olympic medal was won by Muhammad Bashir born 22.12.1934. He won a bronze medal in Rome, in 1960 in freestyle wrestling in the Welterweight class.
To commemorate the Centennial Olympic Games Atlanta 1996, Pakistan Post Office is issuing four commemorative postage stamps of Rs. 5/- and a souvenir sheet of Rs. 25/- on August 3,1996.