Volume 34 I Issue 1 12017 I ISSN 0954-2183 TORCH BEARER Official publication of the Society of Olympic Collectors 1859 1924 1866 1928 1870 1932 1875 1936 1896 1948 1900 1952 1904 1956 1906 1960 1908 1964 1912 1968 1920 1972 1924 1976 1928 1980 1932 1984 1936 1988 1948 1992 1952 1994 1956 1998 1960 2002 1964 2006 1968 2010 1972 2014 1976 2018 1980 2022 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 SOC Society of Olympic Collectors Society of Olympic Collectors Executive Committee Chairman Bob Wilcock email: [email protected] 24 Hamilton Crescent, Brentwood, Essex CM14 5ES, United Kingdom Vice-Chairman Vacant Secretary Paula Burger email: [email protected] 19 Hanbury Path, Sheerwater, Woking, Surrey GU21 5RB, United Kingdom Editor & Mike Pagomenos email: [email protected] Website Admin 8 Tayside Drive, Edgware, Middlesex HA8 8RD, United Kingdom Treasurer & David Frome email: [email protected] Distribution 129 Leicester Road, Barnet, Hertfordshire EN5 5EA, United Kingdom Manager Auction Manager Chris Cohen email: [email protected] 3 Cowham Close, Alfreton, Derbyshire DE55 7HG, United Kingdom International Packet Secretary Vacant Public Relations Officer Vacant Committee Jonathan Rosenthall email: [email protected] Member 7 Sandmoor Lane, Leeds LS17 7EA, United Kingdom Torch Bearer Back Issues: The SOC maintains a reference archive with two copies of each issue of Torch Bearer. Photocopies of articles or back issues can be requested from David Frome at the above email address at a cost of 10p pence per sheet. Copy Dates: Torch Bearer is usually published four times a year: in March, June, September and December. Articles or adverts for inclusion should be sent two months in advance. Torch Bearer Volume 34 I Issue 1 12017 I ISSN 0954-2183 Contents June 2017 Editorial 2 Invitation 3 New Issue: Paris 2024 bid 4 New Issue: Rio 2016: Algeria 6 New Issue: Rio 2016: Bahamas 7 New Issue: Rio 2016: Belarus 8 New Issue: Rio 2016: Estonia 12 New Issue: Rio 2016: Isle of Man 13 New Issue: Rio 2016: Liechtenstein 19 New Issue: Rio 2016: Luxembourg 20 New Issue: Rio 2016: Moldova 21 New Issue: Rio 2016: Montenegro 23 25 New Issue: Rio 2016: New Zealand New Issue: Rio 2016: Poland 26 New Issue: Rio 2016: Slovakia 27 New Issue: Rio 2016: Slovenia 28 New Issue: Rio 2016: Sri Lanka 30 New Issue: Rio 2016: Tajikistan 31 New Issue: Rio 2016: Ukraine 32 New Issue: Rio 2016: back of the book 33 New Issue: Olympic Academy: Spain 34 New Issue: Rio 2016: New Zealand: gold and silver coins 35 Membership Membership of the Society of Olympic Collectors starts on election, of which applicants will be notified, and will last for one calendar year. All back issues of the magazine for the current year will be sent to members joining during the year. Junior members are those aged under 18 years in the year of joining, subscription rates are half of the adult rate until their 18th birthday. All applications for membership should be made to the Secretary. Subscription rates for 2018 when making payment in £ sterling, € or $US currency notes or £ sterling cheques are as follows: United Kingdom: £15.00 / Europe: €30.00 / Outside Europe: €40.00 or $US45.00 Subscription rates for 2018 when making payment through Paypal are as follows: United Kingdom: £16.00 / Europe: £22.00 / Outside Europe: £27.00 Payments are accepted through Paypal in £ sterling only and include the additional costs involved with accepting payment through Paypal. Editorial Keeping up with prolific new issues appears to be an endless task. Am thinking that there needs to be a tighter rein on what is issued and for what reason. I don't think that participation is enough of a reason unless it is a country's very first time. When I first started collecting Olympics thematically I focussed on host country issues only. Am thinking that unless there is a spectacularly good reason for an Olympic superlative or superlative Olympian that restricting Olympic issues to host countries and bid candidates would be a very good place to start. I very much appreciate being corrected in an email by Thomas Lippert for unintentionally repeating a historical error in the last issue. It was not until the IOC's 24th Session in Lisbon in 1926 that the IOC retroactively recognised 'International Winter Sports Week', held in Chamonix in 1924, as its first Winter Olympic Games. Not the IOC's 8th Congress in Prague in 1925 where the IOC decided to initiate a series of Winter Olympic Games. My apologies for that error. It is also quite encouraging to receive that communication as evidence that at least one person read the first page of the last issue. Earlier this year I was deeply affected by the loss of a dear friend. During his lifetime, he had worked with Jesse Owens (athletics, Berlin 1936) as his Press/PR Officer, he knew Jack Kelly (rowing, 1920 Antwerp and 1924 Paris) socially (and that included his sister Grace Kelly, the actor and Princess of Monaco) and was a spectator at a swimming/diving show starring Johnny Weissmuller (swimming, Paris 1924 and Amsterdam 1928). None of which he would have ever mentioned had I not mentioned my Olympic hobby. He was a very modest man and am certain he would not want me to mention his name. He recommended that I visit the filming location of Johnny Weissmuller's Tarzan movies, at Wakulla Springs in Florida, which I did. When I visited Philadelphia he showed me the river where Jack Kelly used to train. As a result I feel stronger connections with these Olympians than with others, even though I did not meet them personally. I will miss hearing the stories about those times and every time I hear the names of these Olympians I will think of him. Meetings and Events The 23rd World Olympic Collectors Fair (WOCF) will be held in Bratislava, Slovakia between 8 and 10 September 2017. Accommodation can be reserved using the form on the WOCF website at www.wocf2017bratislava.com/reservations/ or by telephoning the NH Bratislava Gate One Hotel on 00421 2 32 770 000 before 20 August 2017. An exhibition titled 'Olympic Games Paris 1924, Colombes again in the starting blocks for 2024' is currently on and will continue till 17 September 2017 at the Municipal Museum of Art and History in Colombes, Paris, France. Included in the program of events will be documentary films and conferences. An interesting exhibition with a lot of documents (posters, books, medals and memorabilia) has been organized by AFCOS. More information is available at the AICO website aicolympic.org/special-exhibition-colombes-stadium-paris/ in English and French. The 2017 Olympin Club Annual Convention for Olympic pin collectors will be held in Lake Placid, United States between 29 September and 1 October. See www.lakeplacid2017.com . 2 AICO 23rd World Olympic Collectors Fair BRATISLAVA. SLOVAKIA * 8-10 September 2017 Invitation The AICO Executive Board and the Organizers are pleased to announce that the 23rd World Olympic Collectors Fair -- BRATISLAVA 2017 — will take place from 8-10 September 2017 it, Bratislava. Slovakia. e take this opportunity to invite Olympic collectors from around the world, and especially from our AICO Member Clubs, to participate. The organizer of the 230 WOCF is the Slovak Society of Olympic and Sports Collectors (SSOSC) with the support and cooperation of the Slovak Otympk Committee :inc.' the Slovak Olympic and Sports Museum. The World Olympic Collectors Fair will be held in conjunction with celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the Slovak Olympic Committee. We express our gratitude to our Slovak friends for taking part in organizing this event on such short notice. Unfortunately, the China Sport Philately and Collection Association (CSPCA) had to withdraw from organizing the fair; the Chinese collectors were most keen on implementing the 2017 WOCF. We also express our gratitude to the Hungarian Olympic and Sport Philatelic Association (MOSEIT) and the Hungarian Philatelic Association (MABEOS2), who voiced their desire to hold the fair in Budapest. but unforeseen circumstances made this impossible. It was only this week that the SSOSC and the Executive Board of AICO received the final confirmation of the Bratislava fair. Additional details are forthcoming. Dr. Branislav Delej, who is directing the preparations, has already commissioned the creation of a 23rd WOCF website and, more importantly, a registration system for fair participants. The registration fees and the final venue for the fair (which promises to be very attractive) will be announced shortly on the AICO website and through direct communications to our AICO Member Clubs. We hope, despite the short lead time, that collectors will enthusiastically embrace the 23rd WOG and join Olympic collectors from around the world In Bratislava in September. WELCOME I!! We are very grateful for the support and assistance of Ms. Stephanie Coppex and the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage. the AICO Ixecutive Board 27 May 2017 ktoletorraz Z.. 11307 e1.0NAc. iwitz4,1 sod : 36.-':=IYMP":-C4S I 3 New Issue: Paris 2024 bid On 13 May 2017 France issued a stamp promoting their Paris 2024 bid and an official postmark that has been used on a number of souvenirs such as FDCs and maximum cards. France has also promoted the bid inside red Marianne definitive stamp booklets (carnets in French). A. PARIS candich. 2024 Avec los tletbres do ce carnet, LA POSTE SOUTIENT attrancri:ssoz tous vos envo.s, quel quo sot lour pods. O L'ELAN FRAKAIS CO CARNET DE 00 12 TIMBRES-POSTE O aux cotes de la candidature de AUTOCOLLANTS '000 PARIS Pans a l'organisation des kux val.dte permanenle pow vos lettres prronta:res Olympiques et Paralympiques a desttnatton de to France, al,..ab-er.