U.S. # 4986
2015 49¢ Imperforate Special Olympics World Games
First-Class Mail
Transforming lives through sports is at the core of Special Olympics. Inspiring confident, healthy athletes, breaking stereotypes, and changing attitudes is the goal.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver was the founder of the Spe... more
U.S. # 4986
2015 49¢ Imperforate Special Olympics World Games
First-Class Mail
Transforming lives through sports is at the core of Special Olympics. Inspiring confident, healthy athletes, breaking stereotypes, and changing attitudes is the goal.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver was the founder of the Special Olympics. In 1962, she opened “Camp Shriver” in her backyard to provide children with intellectual disabilities a place to play. This turned into an annual event and led to the creation of similar camps across the nation.
Next, Shriver called for nationwide sports contests. She received a proposal from the Chicago Park District for a citywide track meet, similar to the Olympics. Excited by the idea, she asked that it be opened to athletes from around the country. Held on July 20, 1968, the event became the first Special Olympics. One thousand athletes from the United States and Canada participated in about 200 events.
The Special Olympics movement has since grown to about 4.4 million athletes in over 170 countries. There are thousands of competitions yearly, with World Summer and Winter Games every two years.
Special Olympics provides genuine sports, competition, and achievement opportunities for adults and children with intellectual disabilities. As the focus on disabilities fades, people drop the emphasis on what Special Olympics athletes cannot do, and instead celebrate their skills and accomplishments.
Value: 49¢ 1-ounce first-class letter rate
Issued: May 9, 2015
First Day City: Irvine, CA
Type of Stamp: Commemorative (Imperforate)
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America for Sennett Security Products
Method: Offset with microprinting in sheets of 80 with 4 panes of 20 per sheet
Self-Adhesive
Quantity Printed: 120,000 stamps
Designed by art director Greg Breeding, this stamp pictures the 2015 Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles logo, which incorporates colors from the flags of all the participating countries.
This stamp marked the fifth time the Special Olympics were honored on U.S. postage. The previous issues were U.S. #1788, #2142, #3191i, and #3771.
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