The Slovak Post has issued a stamp to commemorate the Olympics and Paralympics 2012 in London.

During the Olympic Games, 10,500 athletes from 204 countries are expected who will struggle for 302 collections of medals in 26 Olympic sports.

The first Paralympic Games for physically handicapped sportsmen, mostly British soldiers – disabled people from WWII, were held on 29th July1948. It took place on the same day as the Opening Ceremony of the XIV Olympic Games. The Paralympic Games are coming back to its cradle with a wide-ranging schedule for more than 4,000 contestants from 166 countries who will participate in 21 disciplines. Besides the traditional Olympic disciplines (light athletics, swimming, weightlifting, fencing, equestrian disciplines, cycling, rowing, yachting) or games (football, volleyball, basketball, rugby, tennis, table tennis) we will see also an extremely popular game of boccia or goalball. It was devised after WWII as a ball game for visually impaired soldiers. It is played in silence and players try to throw a ball that has bells embedded in it into the opponent’s goal. The players do not see the ball; they only hear it. But after the goal, the applause is a legitimate doping!

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