ARTIGOS PUBLICADOS

SPORTS PHILATELY IN BRAZIL
A FILATELIA ESPORTIVA NO BRASIL

Geraldo de Andrade Ribeiro
Brazilian Association of Thematic Philately - ABRAFITE

Olympic philately is undoubtedly the most organized section of
Thematic Philately. There even exists an International Federation,
the FIPO, formally recognized by the International Olympic Committee,
with temporary specific exhibition, like OLYMPHILEX, addressed
catalogues, large specialized collections and clubs with periodical publications in Europe, the U.S. and Argentina.

At the end of the 50`s, beginning of the 60`s, Brazil was holder of the world`s best Olympic collection, winning the most important prizes for its participation in international exhibitions in Europe and in TEMEX 61, in Argentina. Responsible for the conquests, was the collection of the late Eugenio Rappaport, sportsman, coach, and most probably, Brazil`s first thematic philatelist.

The 50`s and the 60`s were the most important decades in the history of Brazil`s Sports Philately, with dozens of collections in Brazil`s, at that time, incipient Thematic Philately. In Rio de janeiro, in 1957, there even was a national philately exhibition of sports stamps with more than a dozen collections, nowadays an impossible event, considering the few thematic collections dedicated to the subject. At that time, apart from Rappaport, there was Plínio Ricciardi, Wilson Liguori and Roberto Peixoto.

At the moment, apart from the current exhibited collections, it is worth pointing out the specific Olympic Games collection of Roberto Gesta de Melo, current president of the Brazilian Athletics Confederation. The collection, still unexhibited, contains rarities at world level, which are the fruit of nearly 30 years of aquisitions in international auctions.