On the occasion of the forthcoming Beijing Olympic Games, MaltaPost p.l.c. yesterday officially launched the official stamp set commemorating these games in collaboration with the Maltese Olympic Committee, and in the presence of some of Malta’s Olympic athlete hopefuls.

The set of three stamps is designed by Darren Duncan, depicting pictograms of Athletics, Shooting and Swimming – three of the four disciplines most likely to be represented by Team Malta athletes.

The stamps, in horizontal format (size 44mm x 31mm), are printed by Messrs. Printex Limited and come in sheets of 10 with nominal values of e0.05, e0.12 and e1.57 respectively. They were revealed yesterday.

The stamps are expected to be much sought after by philatelists and thematic collectors, both in Malta and abroad. First day covers and stamps sets will be available as of yesterday from all MaltaPost p.l.c. branch post offices in Malta and Gozo.

MaltaPost representative Mr George Galea added that Olympic stamp sets were first issued by MaltaPost back in 1976 commemorating the XXI Olympic Games held in Montreal; and then reintroduced in 1984 for the Los Angeles games and for every consecutive games since then namely, Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004; in total 8 Olympic Games have been commemorated by MaltaPost p.l.c.

Mr Galea added that besides promoting an international event, it would also help in no small way to enhance Malta’s philatelic standing worldwide.

Chief Executive Officer, Mr Josef Gafa’ presented the Maltese Olympic Committee and the prospective Olympic athletes with a number of first day covers. He also presented the MOC president with two sets of stamps to be made use of in the MOC Museum to be set up shortly.

The MOC President, Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco, said such stamp sets are an integral part of contributing to the awareness of the Beijing Olympic Games and Team Malta’s representation at these Games.

Prospective athletes are working hard to qualify in the last few months left for these Games and all Malta should be proud of the athletes and acknowledge their dedication.

He also referred to swimmer Ryan Gambin who has come over from Australia to represent the country.

“He will soon be going to take part in the European Championships in Eindhoven, Holland. However, he needs to qualify to be able to take part in the Beijing Games. He has already reached the qualifying time but because of the fact that he has not yet taken part in a world or European championship, then he will have to do it all over again. We are confident that he will be able to make it in Eindhoven,” said Farrugia Sacco.

The MOC president said the main focus was on shooter William Chetcuti. “He is showing improvement after a barren run and I am convinced that he will get a positive result for Malta in Beijing, come next August. He failed to qualify but we are almost certain that he will be offered an invitation to take part. It only needs an approval,” said Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco.

He added that judoka Marcon Bezzina was also very dedicated to her sport and was doing well, despite an injury last year which forced her out of action for some time. “We are also hopeful she will get positive results,” said Farrugia Sacco.

In athletics, Darren Gilford will almost certainly be the male representative, while four athletes – Diane Borg, Martina Xuereb, Francesca Xuereb and Charlene Attard – will be contesting the one and only place.

In swimming, Dr Angela Galea is Malta’s main hope, but she is not yet guaranteed of her place because the MOC is also monitoring Madeleine Scerri, who represented Malta in the Monaco Games for European Small States last summer. Among the men, if Gambin fails to qualify, it will probably be Neil Agius who will get an invitation, as the former cannot receive an invitation, according to the rules.

Also present for the Conference was His Excellency the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, Chan Xi.

He congratulated the Maltese Olympic Committee and Maltapost for issuing such a set of stamps to commemorate the Beijing Olympics, to start on 8 August. “It is not only Beijing or the whole of China, but the whole world that is waiting in earnest for this important event. The International Olympic Committee is satisfied with the preparations, now that most of the facilities have been completed,” he said.

He also referred to Malta’s top athlete – shooter William Chetcuti – wishing him a positive performance which could possibly also land him a medal.

The conference was also addressed by the MOC Secretary General, Mr Joseph Cassar, who said that these games should be memorable for the nation and for Maltese sport with selected athletes sure to make their mark. He also made a strong mention about the fact that Olympic Stamps have always hit the headlines since they were first issued in 1896. Since then, millions of collectors have bought such stamps which have now become valuable.