U.S. #2808
29¢ Luge
Winter Olympics
Issue Date: January 6, 1994
City: Salt Lake City, UT
Quantity: 35,800,000
Printed By: Ashton-Potter
Printing Method: Lithographed
Perforations: 11.2
Color: Multicolored
First held in Olympia in 776 B.C., the Olympic Games played an important role in ancient Greece. Held every four years, the games continued until A.D. 393 when the Roman Emperor Theodosius halted them for religious reasons and tore up the stadiums.
In 1894, Baron de Coubertin, a Frenchman, revived interest in the Games with his idea of organizing a modern, international Olympics. Believing athletics played a major role in forming a person’s character, he also hoped the Games would promote world peace. In 1896 the first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece. The Winter Games were added in 1924.
Today the Olympics continue to bring together the world’s finest athletes. No other sports event attracts so much attention, as millions around the world share in the triumphs and tragedies of these courageous athletes.
A relatively new Olympic event, lugeing was included in the Winter Games for the first time in 1964. A traditional winter sport in Austria, it dates back to the 16th century. The term luge comes from the French word for a small sled. Lying on their backs, lugers race feet first down a steeply banked ice-covered course. The driver steers by using his feet, shifting weight, and pulling on straps attached to the runners.