World Olympic Collectors Fair to debut in Beijing

Updated：2007-06-20

(BEIJING, June 20) -- The 13th World Olympic Collectors Fair will be held in Beijing, host city of the 2008 Olympic Games, from June 22-28, organizers announced at a press conference Wednesday. This will be the first time the Fair will take place in China since its creation.

Jointly sponsored by the IOC, BOCOG, the Chinese Olympic Committee and the China Post, undertaken by the Sports and Culture Development Center of the State General Administration of Sport, and co-sponsored by China Sports Philately Society and Beijing Desheng International Cultural Center, the fair will be held in Beijing Desheng International Cultural Center (No. 26 Huansidajie Street, Xicheng District).

The Olympic collectors and fans of sports philately, coins and souvenirs and related traders across the world will gather in Beijing along with their collected treasures from the last 100 plus years of the Olympic Movement. The treasures on display will include large items such as Olympic torches, trophies, and gym suits, as well as small items like pins, coins, stamps or other items bearing the Olympic rings. It will be a grand gathering of the world's Olympic collectors and Olympic souvenirs. Chinese and foreign sports fans can visit, exchange and trade sports treasures and experience the sports culture.

Giving priority to the event, BOCOG has included it as part of the Fifth Beijing 2008 Olympic Cultural Festival and part of the series of activities for the Beijing Olympic Games.

Juan Antonio Samaranch, IOC Honorary President for Life and Chairman of the Olympic Philately, Numismatics and Memorabilia Commission, will attend the opening ceremony on the morning of June 24.

Mr. Samaranch has personally signed invitations welcoming collectors and relevant companies from around the world to the Fair. By early June, the Organizing Committee had already received 128 international registrations for 70 spots at the Fair, and 192 domestic registrations for 96 spots. The number of participants at this year's Fair will surpass the participation norm from past Fairs. The international participants represent Italy, Slovenia, the United States, Australia, Switzerland, Sweden, the UK, France, Belgium, Poland, Romania, Russia, Lithuania, Croatia, Norway, Finland, Japan, and other countries.

At the suggestion of the IOC, the Chinese Sport Stamps Collectors' Association will hold a large-scale stamp exhibition at the same time as the Fair that will include 309 international-standard sized display cases. The finest stamps will be selected here and placed on exhibit at the Fair. Also featured at the stamp exhibition will be the precious Olympics-related stamps Mr. Samaranch has donated to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. A second exhibition, organized by the China Physical Culture Museum and entitled "The Olympics and China," will also take place simultaneously with the Fair. As the title suggests, the exhibition will feature items related to China's participation in the Olympic Movement.

According to the organizers, the fair will be open to the public for free. The last Fair was held in Lausanne, Switzerland from June 2-4, 2006.