1996 Atlanta Olympics -- USA FDC'S Available with me!!!!!!!

1. Decathlon

2. Free Style Wrestling

3. Men's Canoeing

4. Women Gymnastics

 

 

5. Men's Shortput

 

6. Men's Hurdles

 

 

7.Women's Sailboarding

8. Women's Diving

 

9. Beach Volleyball

10. Men's Running

 

 

 

A different FDC from the previous one for Men's Canoeing....

I request our friends all over the world help me to get the remaining FDC'S also the sheetlet which is not in my collection...............I can offer latest Indian Stamps and Miniature Sheets for exchange!

1996 Atlanta Olympics -- USA Stamps

On May 2, 1996, the U.S. Postal Service held first day of issue ceremonies in Washington D.C. for a new sheet of 20 32-cent stamps commemorating the Atlanta's 1996 Summer Olympics. The ceremonies were originally scheduled to have been held in Atlanta, but at the last minute the Postal Service switched the official release site to Washington D.C. Because many people had planned to attend the Atlanta ceremonies, the Postal Service allowed the Peachtree Center post office in downtown Atlanta to also sell the Olympic stamps on May 2. 

Olympic sports featured on stamps in the sheet (along with the descriptive text that appears on the back of the stamp) are:

Men's Cycling - Sprint cycling was one of the original events in the 1896 Games. It combines speed and strategy on a banked track. A women's event was added in 1988.

Women's Diving - Platform diving is performed from a board 10 meters above the water. The most difficult dive is the back 1 1/2 somersault with 4 1/2 twists. The U.S. has won over half the medals awarded in both men's and women's events.

Women's Running - There are 8 women's running events, from 100 meters to the marathon (26 miles, 385 yards). Until 1964, the longest race was only 200 meters.

Men's Canoeing - Whitewater, or slalom, events were added temporarily in 1972 and permanently in 1988. Flatwater canoeing has been part of the Games since 1936.

Decathlon - The decathlon consists of 10 events. On the first day, athletes compete in the 100-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, and 400-meter run. On the second day, they perform the 110-meter hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw, and 1500-meter run.

Women's Soccer - Although men's soccer has been a part of the Games since 1900, a women's tournament will be held for the first time in 1996. Eight teams will take part.

Men's Shot Put - The shot put has been included in all Games since 1896. A shot is a 16-pound ball of iron or brass. The United States has won 15 of 22 gold medals.

Women's Sailboarding - The first sailboarding contest was included in the 1984 Los Angeles Games. A separate women's event was added in 1992.

Women's Gymnastics - Women gymnasts compete in an all-around event, a team event, floor exercises, balance beam, uneven bars, and vault. Contestants must be at least 15 years old by the end of 1996.

Freestyle Wrestling - Wrestling has 10 weight divisions. It is the only sport with a maximum weight limit; wrestlers must be less than 286 pounds. The United States has earned more medals than any other nation.

Women's Softball - Softball will make its first appearance in the 1996 Games. The United States team is the world champion and one of the teams favored to win a medal.

Women's Swimming - The women's 400-meter freestyle event was first held in 1920; the 800-meter event was added in 1968. American women have won 15 of 24 gold medals in these events.

Men's Sprinting Events - The 100 meters and 400 meters were part of the first Games in 1896. In the 100, 200, and 400 meters and the two sprint relays, the United States has won two-thirds of the gold medals.

Men's Rowing - There will be 14 rowing events contested at the 1996 Games; 8 for men and 6 for women. For the first time, lightweight events will be included for men under 160 lbs. and for women under 130 lbs.

Beach Volleyball - Beach Volleyball, played with two-person teams, will be added to the Games program for the first time in 1996. There will be both men's and women's events.

Men's Basketball - Since basketball first made its appearance in 1936, the United States has won 92 games and lost only 2. Professionals from the NBA were allowed to compete for the first time in 1992.

Equestrian - Equestrian is one of the only two sports in which women compete against men. The jumping event was first included in the 1900 Games. The sport was opened to women in 1952.

Men's Gymnastics - Male gymnasts compete in 6 events; horizontal bar, parallel bars, vault, pommel horse, rings, and floor exercises. There are also an all-around event and a team event.

Men's Swimming - The backstroke event was first included in the Games of 1900. There are now two events; the 100 meters, which is two lengths of the pool, and the 200 meters, which is four lengths.

Men's Hurdles - The 110-meter hurdles event has been included in all Games since 1896. The United States has earned 48 medals. No other nation has won more than 5.

1996 Atlanta Olympics .... Contd...

 MASCOT:
        The mascot for the Olympiad was an abstract, animated character named Izzy. In contrast to the standing tradition of mascots of national or regional significance in the city hosting the Olympiad, Izzy was an amorphous, computer-designed fantasy figure.

 

HIGHLIGHTS:
         

A record 197 nations, all current IOC member nations, took part, with a record 79 of them winning at least one medal. Palestine was allowed to compete in the Olympics for the first time. Also for the first time, Olympic medals were won by the athletes from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burundi, Ecuador, Georgia, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Mozambique, Slovakia, Tonga, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Lee Lai Shan won a gold medal in sailing, the only Olympic medal that Hong Kong ever won as a British colony (1952-1997). This meant that for the only time, the colonial flag of Hong Kong was raised to the accompaniment of the anthem God Save the Queen, as Hong Kong's sovereignty was later transferred to China in 1997.

Softball, beach volleyball and mountain biking debuted on the Olympic program, together with women's soccer/football and lightweight rowing.

• Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic torch during the opening ceremonies of the games and received a replacement gold medal for his boxing victory in the 1960 Summer Olympics.
• Kurt Angle of the United States won the gold medal in 100 kg (220 lb) freestyle wrestling while suffering from a fractured neck
• Slovene gymnast Leon Štukelj arose at the opening ceremony as one of the oldest living sportsmen in the world (age 97)
• Naim Süleymanoğlu became the first weightlifter to win three gold medals.
• Donovan Bailey of Canada won the men's 100 m, setting a new world record of 9.84 seconds at that time. He also anchored his team's gold in the 4x100 m relay.
• Michael Johnson won gold in both the 200 m and 400 m, setting a new world record of 19.32 seconds in the 200 m. Johnson afterward began disputing Bailey's unofficial title as the "world's fastest man", which later culminated in a 150-metre race between the two to settle the issue.
• Marie-José Perec equaled Johnson's performance, although without a world record, by winning the rare 200 m/400 m double.
• Carl Lewis won his 4th long jump gold medal at the age of 35.
• Cycling professionals were admitted to the Olympics, with five-time Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain winning the inaugural individual time trial event.
• Michelle Smith of Ireland won three gold medals and a bronze in swimming. She remains her nation's most decorated Olympian. However, her victories were overshadowed by doping allegations even though she did not test positive in 1996. She received a four-year suspension in 1998 for tampering with a urine sample, though her medals and records were allowed to stand.
• Kerri Strug of the United States women's gymnastics team vaulted with an injured ankle and landed on one foot. The US women's gymnastics team won its first gold medal.
• Shannon Miller of the United States won the gold medal on the balance beam event. The first time an American Gymnast had won an individual gold medal outside of a contested Olympic games.
• Amy Van Dyken won four gold medals in the Olympic swimming pool, the first American woman to win four titles in a single Olympiad.
• Deon Hemmings became the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal for Jamaica and the English-speaking West Indies.
• Five athletes were disqualified for using banned drugs. A few of these athletes were reinstated since the drug they took had been declared illegal only a week before the Olympics.
• Andre Agassi won the gold medal in tennis. This helped him become the first male player to ever win the career Golden Slam.
• Deng Yaping of China won two gold medals in Women singles and doubles of table tennis. She also won these two titles in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
• The US women's soccer team won the gold medal in the first ever women's soccer event.
• Xeno Müller won gold for the Men's single scull event (rowing) in his first Olympic appearance. His time of 6:44.85 is still the current Olympic record.
• Alexander Karelin won his third Olympic gold medal as a Greco-Roman wrestler.
• Spain won gold at the inagural rhythmic gymnastics team competition defeating the favorite and reigning world champion Bulgaria who won the World Championship less than a month ago.