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ASSOCIAÇÃO BRASILEIRA DE FILATELIA TEMÁTICA

 

 

ARTIGOS PUBLICADOS

BRAZIL ON THE OLYMPIC GAMES:
PHILATELIC IMAGES
BRASIL NOS JOGOS OLÍMPICOS:
IMAGENS FILATÉLICAS

Geraldo de Andrade Ribeiro
Brazilian Association of Thematic Philately - ABRAFITE

In 1906, a long time before Brazil`s first participation in the Olympic Games, a Brazilian had already been awarded a prize by the International Olympic Committee, namely the very Santos Dumont (1), who received the Olympic Diploma for his services to sports.

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The first participation was in the 1920 Games of Antwerp, Belgium. From that pioneering participation there aren`t any explicit philatelic pieces, and still, specialists on the subject know how to appreciate the various Belgian matter marks used for months, from right before the Games, showing various significant dates (2), like 3 August 1920, the date of brazil`s first Olympic medal, won by Afrânio Costa (3) and 4 August 1920 (4), the victory of Guilherme Paraense (5), Brazil`s first gold medal, portayed in the 1992 Brazilian series of the Barcelona Olympic Games, both in shooting. Apart from this, there are post cards transported by the Lloyd Brasileiro vessel, Curvelo, that took the national delegation on a trip full of alternatives.

Something few people know is that Afrânio Costa was a philatelist himself, member of the S.P.B., the Brazilian Philatelic Society, conform the August 1920 edition of the "Revista Philatélica Brasileira", the Brazilian Philatelic Magazine: "...Brazil has just received the title of revolver champion, a title obtained by lieutenant Paraense of the Brazilian Army. The second place in the pistol event was obtained by our distinct friend and member of the S.P.B., Dr. Afrânio Costa, who, this way, managed to dignify our Fatherland abroad". To have an idea of the sports athmosphere at that time and of the hommages to the winners, I recommend reading the works of Olavio Bilac (6) and Coelho Neto.

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From the Paris Games, there exist immediate references, leaving only for analysis the correspondance transported by the Lloyd Brasileiro vessel, Orania, that took the brazilian delegation, part of which can be seen in a rare photograph (7). In 1928, in Antwerp, Brazil didn`t participate.

In 1932, in Los Angeles, not a single stamp or post mark, nor medal, but a very incidentful participation, with an epic voyage, with scarse resources, not even having money to pay the desembarkation fee, which ended up leaving various of them on board the vessel Itaquicê. As reference, apart from the correspondance transported by the above mentioned, some telegrammes received and delivered on board can be obtained (8). Also two labels, authorized by the Brazilian Post, even though not obligatory, helped to gather funds for the participation (9).

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The 1936 Berlin Games marked the appearance of the first Olympic philatic piece of Brazil, namely the mattermark of the Banco Germânico (10), our biggest and least known star. About this one is only known that it coms from a Hassler machine, not knowing the beginning and end of its use, and, from its known dates, it was a long period, of more than a year. The Banco Germânico`s entire archive was confiscated by the goverment after the declaration of war to Germany, leaving no sources for research. Also the pieces posted by the Brazilian athletes in the various agencies, created for the Games, specially in the Olympic Stadium and Village, of which various pieces are known (11), can be used. For these Games a special fundraising scheme was designed, with labels of excellent graphic design for that time, which didn`t get to be issued and whose drawings, seen by the author, couldn`t be saved and were lost with the son of the author of the drawings.

After a period of interruption, due to the II World War, the new Games were held in Londen, in 1948, without Brazilian pieces, despite the Treasury even having made draughts, conform some news from that time in the magazine Brasil Philatélico of the Clube Philatélico do Brasil, the Brazilian Philatelic Club.

The 1952 Helsinki Games mark the appearance of our second Olympic piece, also a matter mark, issued by Scandinavian Airlines (12), and there are various pieces posted in the Olympic Stadium and Village by the Brazilian athletes, in particular of Brazilian champion Adhemar Ferreira da Silva, precisely on his "big day", (23 July 1952) (12A) when he broke 4 world records, and on the day of his victory and olympic record (12 July 1952) (12B). Our third piece also dates back from that year, since the Fluminense Futebol Clube stamp also shows the 5 Olympic circles, reminding being the only club in the country having won the Olympic Cup, offered by the International Olympic Committee in 1949 (12C).

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Foto 12 a
Foto 12 c

Melbourne, in 1956, also without Brazilian stamps, leaving only the letters posted by the athletes and the directors (13). These Games mark the appearance of stamps by other countries in hommage of Brazilian athletes, the Dominican Republic being the first (14).

The Rome Games didn`t have any stamps either, despite the draughts made by Baggio Mazzeo and not authorized by the Brazilian Post (15). But the numerous 1970 Soccer World Cup stamps of various countries showing images of the Brazilian team, can be used to show Gérson, as the one from the North Corean Post (16), since the mentioned, when still an amateur team, was member of the soccer team in these Games. In 1961 Brazil`s fourth piece was presented in hommage to Éder Jofre, participant in the Melbourne Games when he was still an amateur.

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There are no references from the 1964 Tokio Games, and from the 1968 Mexico City Games there is another foreign stamp, this time made by Granada and also for Adhemar Ferreira da Silva, Olympic double champion (18). Two world champions and soccer trainers, Vicente Feola and Aymoré Moreira, represented in Nigerian stamps, were trainers of the Brazilian Olympic team in the 50`s and the 60`s (19).

The Munich Games (1972) presented Brazil`s fifth piece, a matter mark of the German Consulate in Rio (20).

In 1975, a stamp was presented in hommage to triple salt world record by João Carlos Oliveira, previously athlete in Montreal and Moscou (21).

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Foto 19 b
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Montreal, in 1976, stands out for the appearance of Brazil`s Olympic series, regularly issued from then onwards (22), as the marks with the wrong date (23). Uruguay paid hommage with two stamps to João Havelange, FIFA president and Brazilian member of the International Olympic Committee, apart from being athlete in the 1936 Berlin Games (24).

Moscou, in 1980, apart from Brazil`s series (25), in which different variations were presented to the philatelists joy, Brazil had the post mark in hommage to Adhemar Ferreira da Silva (26) and his Olympic records, in São Paulo, the Pirelli Olympic Centre post mark (27), and Lesotho exhibits a view of the Olympic Stadium in which the Brazilian flag appears (28).

Foto 22 e 23
Foto 24 a
Foto 24 b
Foto 25 a
Foto 25 b
Foto 25 c
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In 1981, Fluminense soccer club starts using matter marks with the image and alusive sayings to the Olympic Cup, having two different types, one of which is rare because of the plate variation, afterwards being changed for a different model (29). Olympic Day was celebrated in São Bernardo (State of São Paulo) with a commemorative mark (30).

For the occasion of the BRASILIANA 83, two Olympic blocks were issued, one refering to the yachting victory in Moscou and another in hommage to Adhemar Ferreira da Silva (31) and (32).

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Los Angeles 1984, a new series (33), a post mark of Varig (34), three different matter mark models used by the Brazilian Athletics Confederation (35), (36) and (37), stamp by Costa do Marfim portaying Joaquim Cruz, gold medal in the 800m (38). Fuji Film, sponsor, marked its presence with a matter mark (39).

Foto 35 e 36 a
Foto 35 e 36 b

 

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Seoul 1988, apart from Brazil`s series, already mentioned, presented a stamp by Comores, with Brazil`s satelite Brasilsat, radio and TV retransmittor (40), apart from the new Fluminense FC stamp (41) and the post mark for OLYMPHILEX 88, the Olympic Philatelic Exhibition.

Barceona 1992, new national series (42), and an Uganda stamp of Joaquim Cruz (43). For the recent 1996 Atlanta, a series was issued and now the ECT is issuing a special stamp for the Rio 2004 candidature.

It `s worth pointing out that, since 1980 till now, other Olympic post marks, here not mentioned, were issued. There are also more recent images of Brazilian sportspeople on stamps of other countries, about which research is still ongoing, as there are also essays, tests and varieties of national stamps mentioned above.

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