Usain, Shelly featured on new postal stamps
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica Post has released a new stamp issue to commemorate the Rio Olympic Games and honour sprint sensations Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce and Usain Bolt.
The stamps were unveiled by Minister of Sports, Olivia Grange and Minister with responsibility for the Postal Services, Dr Andrew Wheatley at the National Senior Championships on Sunday.
Representatives for the two multiple Olympic gold medallists were presented with commemorative first day covers from the new issue of Rio Olympic Stamps, which bear the athletes’ images. Fraser Pryce shared her appreciation on social media, “Thank you Jamaica Post for this wonderful gesture of a commemorative stamp in honour of the Summer Olympics.”
Deputy Postmaster General, Sophia Hamilton-Brown, says “both athletes have represented Jamaica well over the years and today stand on the brink of major accomplishments in the third consecutive defence of their Olympic titles.” Hamilton Brown says “it is for these reasons Jamaica Post saw it fitting to issue these Rio Olympic stamps to recognize Usain and Shelly-Ann”.
The new issue of stamps is available in three (3) denominations – $60, $120, $300 – and can be had as collector and gift items in the form of souvenir sheets, stamp sets and framed and unframed first day covers at select post offices islandwide. It can also be accessed from Jamaica Post’s recently launched online store. The release will also be sold as postage stamps throughout the postal network.
Jamaica Post partnered with the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) and the Jamaica Olympic Association, (JOA), to launch the commemorative stamps and formally present Fraser Pryce and Bolt with their own Rio Olympic first day covers.