Hongkong Post to issue “XXIV Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022” special stamps (with photos)

     Hongkong Post announced today (January 25) the release of a set of special stamps and associated philatelic products on the theme of "XXIV Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022" on February 4 (Friday), with best wishes for Hong Kong athletes in the Games and continuing the community's enthusiasm for the Olympics.
 
     The XXIV Olympic Winter Games (Winter Olympics) will be held in Beijing from February 4 to 20. It is of great significance for China to host its first Winter Olympics, while Beijing, as one of the host cities, will be the first city in the world to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Games, contributing to the Olympic Movement in its unique way.
 
     The set of four special stamps features different sports in the Winter Olympics, including alpine skiing, a physically demanding sport; ice hockey, which emphasises speed and tactics; figure skating, an elegant mix of art and sport contested on ice; and short track speed skating, which requires strategy, bravery and skill. Silhouettes of the athletes are printed against a streamlined background in the colours of the Olympic rings which add a sense of dynamism to the stamps.
 
     The design of the presentation pack, inspired by the vision of the Winter Olympics as a "Joyful rendezvous upon pure ice and snow", adopts the blue colour from the Winter Olympics emblem which symbolises dreams and the future. The ice and snow in the presentation pack are accentuated in silver foiling to highlight the impression of brightness and purity, making it a valuable philatelic collection.
 
     For the convenience of purchase of the above stamp products as well as to reduce social contacts in view of the latest development of the local epidemic situation, Hongkong Post will reopen its online advanced order service from 8am on January 27 to February 3 to enable customers to place their orders for the above special stamps and associated philatelic products. Customers may place their orders on Hongkong Post's online shopping mall "ShopThruPost" (shopthrupost.hongkongpost.hk) without the need of visiting the post offices. Hongkong Post will separately notify customers of the collection date of their orders.
 
     To avoid gathering of people at the post offices and to observe social distancing, there will not be any hand-back date-stamping service for official first day covers/souvenir covers/private covers on the date of issue of this set of special stamps (February 4), but collection points will be set up at all post offices to receive covers requiring the hand-back date-stamping service. These date-stamped covers will be available for collection from February 5 and customers will be advised on the collection schedule upon acceptance of the covers. In addition, the deadline of accepting orders for servicing self-provided covers will also be extended to January 31. There will not be any change in the collection schedule for customers who have previously placed advance orders for this set of special stamps before January 21.
 
     To join hands in fighting the virus, customers are encouraged to place their purchases online either through the online advanced order service or from the day of the new stamp issue (February 4). Those who have a genuine need to visit the post offices are advised to refrain from staying after their purchases.
 
     Information about this set of special stamps and associated philatelic products is available on the Hongkong Post Stamps website (stamps.hongkongpost.hk) and the "ShopThruPost" mobile app.