Department of Posts (DoP), Govt. of India, has a rich tradition of commemorating global events through stamps, special covers and pictorial cancellations. For the Paris 2024 Olympics, the DoP has released a set a four stamps in souvenir sheet format, celebrating the spirit of the Games. Different postal circles across India, have issued pictorial cancellations, special covers showcasing India’s contribution to this historic event.
This blog explores the diverse philatelic tributes that mark India’s journey in Paris 2024.
Inauguration of Games of the XXXIII Olympiad (Paris 2024)
The 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, held on July 26 in Paris, was an extraordinary spectacle directed by Thomas Jolly. For the first time in history, the event took place outside a traditional stadium, with a boat parade along the Seine and performances at iconic Parisian landmarks, celebrating French history, love, and shared humanity.
Karnataka Postal circle released a set of 15 picture postcards, a special cover at Bengaluru GPO and a pictorial cancellation at all four philatelic bureaus (Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru and Belagavi) under the circle.
India’s Achievement in Paris 2024
India won total 6 medals (1 Silver and 5 Bronze) during Paris 2024. Different postal circles across India celebrated each medal win in different ways. Karnataka circle released a set of picture postcards, Chhattisgarh circle released a set of pictorial cancellations and Madhya Pradesh Postal circle released a set of six pictorial cancellation on National Sports Day 2024 commemorating each medal.
2nd Day – 28th July 2024
Manu Bhaker won the first medal in Paris 2024 for India and became the first female Indian shooter to win an Olympic medal. She won a bronze medal in women’s 10 metre air pistol.
4th Day – 30th July 2024
On fourth day of Paris 2024, the team of Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh won a Bronze medal in Mixed 10 m air pistol. After this win Manu Bhaker became the first Indian sportsperson to win two medals in a single Olympics.
Day 6 – 1st August 2024
On sixth day of Paris 2024, Swapnil Kusale won the bronze medal with a score of 451.4 in the final and became the first Indian to qualify for the final of the men’s 50 metre rifle three positions event.
Day 13 – 8th August 2024
On 8th day of the Paris 2024, India won two medals. After waiting for 13 long days we won our first and only Silver medal of this Olympics. Neeraj Chopra won the highest for India in this season, Silver in Men’s Javelin throw. After this win, with his gold medal in the 2020 Olympics, Neeraj became fifth individual multiple medalist for India and first to win a gold and silver combination.
Indian Men’s Hockey team won it’s second consecutive bronze medal for the country after defeating Spain in the match for the third place.
Day 14 – 9th August 2024
On the last day, Aman Sehrawat won the sixth medal for India in Paris 2024. He won a bronze medal in Men’s freestyle wresting 57 kg. After this win, he became the youngest Indian to win an individual Olympic medal at the age of 22.
What “Paris 2024” Meant for India
In their 26th Summer Olympics appearance, India sent a delegation of 110 athletes competing across 16 sports. And secured six medals—matching with London 2012, their second-highest total after Tokyo 2020. While the medal count may not seem extraordinary, the excitement and inspiration it generated among the youth and sports enthusiasts over the two-week event is noteworthy.
To commemorate the event DoP, released a set of 4 stamps in Souvenir sheet format on 5th August 2024.
Different postal circles released pictorial cancellations and special cover to celebrate India’s achievement at Paris 2024. Tamil Nadu circle released a beautiful special cover featuring sketches of all the medal winners.
Chhattisgarh circle in continuation of previous issues, released a pictorial cancellation to congratulate the medal winner. Karnataka postal circle released a unique dual colored postmark to celebrate all the medal winners at Paris 2024, “Pride of India”.
In their 26th Summer Olympics appearance, India sent a delegation of 110 athletes competing across 16 sports. And secured six medals—matching with London 2012, their second-highest total after Tokyo 2020. While the medal count may not seem extraordinary, the excitement and inspiration it generated among the youth and sports enthusiasts over the two-week event is noteworthy. According to a press release, over 17 crore viewers tuned in via JioCinema and Sports18 Network, with a total watch time surpassing 1,500 crore minutes, reflecting an increase in the duration of Olympic content consumption. For the first time, the Olympics coverage in India featured 20 concurrent feeds, attracting a record 69 brands for advertising. This resulted in a 2.6x boost in advertising revenue compared to the Tokyo Olympics, highlighting the growing popularity of non-cricket sports among Indian audiences during Paris 2024.
A special cover from abroad! Singapore Post issued a set of 10 stamps showcasing various sports to commemorate Paris 2024. While this post primarily focuses on releases by India Post, I wanted to share this beautiful cover from Singapore with you all.
I’ve compiled all of India Post’s philatelic issues in this blog. Feel free to share your thoughts and let us know how you enjoyed the article in the comments!