The first stamps that Canada Post released to commemorate an Olympic event were in commemoration of the 1976 Summer Olympics. This event was held in Montreal. The issue date of these patriotic memorabilia is dated September 20, 1973 and the issue price was 8 cents. It is noteworthy that the issue date coincides with the opening day of the British North America Philatelic Society meeting in Calgary. This is significant because both the design and purpose of this stamp is geared towards the interests of philatelists and all Canadian citizens alike.Canada. Post Office Department. [Postage Stamp Press Release], 1973.

Furthermore, this was one of the first released collections but not the last to commemorate the Montreal Olympics. The custom design boasts five interlacing rings, topped with a crown. It also features a symbolic "m". The foundation's underlying, consequential reaction was to provoke the pervading universal brotherhood Olympic spirit. While the "m" signified the three tiered winners'. The podium is symbolic of the glory the winner shall extrude, the chivalrous spirit of a well, earned and contested victory.

In another interpretation, at the center of the logo there is a discernible visual of the Olympic stadium's track. This is where the spectator and team players are united. Unified not only in game spirit but in a frontline visual spectatorship.

1976 Montreal Olympics 1973 Date of IssueThemeDenominationPrinterQuantityDesignPerforationFirst Day Cover Cancellation20 September 1973Symbol of the Montreal Games8 centsAshton-Potter Canada Limited22,000,000 Alois Matanovic12 x 12.5N/A20 September 1973Symbol of the Montreal Games15 centsAshton-Potter Canada Limited11,000,000 Alois Matanovic12 x 12.5N/A

1974 Semi-Postals Date of IssueThemeDenominationPrinterQuantityDesignPerforationFirst Day Cover Cancellation17 April 1974Symbol of the Montreal Games8 cents plus 2 centsAshton-Potter Canada Limited62 225 000 Alois Matanovic 12.5N/A17 April 1974Symbol of the Montreal Games10 cents plus 5 centsAshton-Potter Canada Limited26 112 500 Alois Matanovic 12.5N/A17 April 1974Symbol of the Montreal Games15 cents plus 5 centsAshton-Potter Canada Limited30 715 000 Alois Matanovic 12.5N/A

1975 Water Sports Series Date of IssueThemeDenominationPrinterQuantityDesignPerforationFirst Day Cover Cancellation5 February 1975 Canada. Post Office Department. [Postage Stamp Press Release], 1975.Swimming8 cents plus 2 centsCanadian Bank Note Company, Limited25 300 000 Hal Wallis 13N/A5 February 1975Rowing10 cents plus 5 centsCanadian Bank Note Company, Limited18 250 000 Hal Wallis 13N/A5 February 1975Sailing15 cents plus 5 centsCanadian Bank Note Company, Limited21 750 000 Hal Wallis 13N/A

Sculptures Date of IssueThemeDenominationPrinterQuantityDesignPerforationFirst Day Cover Cancellation14 March 1975 The Sprinter$1Ashton-Potter Limited10 336 000 Based on a sculpture by Robert Tait McKenzie Designed by Allan Robb Fleming Based on a photograph by Eberhard Otto 12.5 x 12N/A14 March 1975 The Plunger$2Ashton-Potter Limited10 320 000 Based on a sculpture by Robert Tait McKenzie Designed by Allan Robb Fleming Based on a photograph by Eberhard Otto 12.5 x 12N/A

1976 Team Sports and Gymnastics Date of IssueThemeDenominationPrinterQuantityDesignPerforationFirst Day Cover Cancellation7 January 1976 Canada. Post Office Department. [Postage Stamp Press Release], 1976. Basketball8 cents plus 2 centsAshton-Potter Limited16 500 000 James Hill 13.5N/A7 January 1976Vaulting10 cents plus 5 centsAshton-Potter Limited11 000 000 James Hill 13.5N/A7 January 1976Soccer20 cents plus 5 centsAshton-Potter Limited11 000 000 James Hill 13.5N/A

Arts & Culture Programme Date of IssueThemeDenominationPrinterQuantityDesignPerforationFirst Day Cover Cancellation6 February 1976 Communications Arts20 centsCanadian Bank Note Company, Limited 11 050 000Ray Webber 12 x 12.5N/A6 February 1976Handicrafts25 centsCanadian Bank Note Company, Limited9 450 000Ray Webber 12 x 12.5N/A6 February 1976 Performing Arts50 centsCanadian Bank Note Company, Limited9 700 000Ray Webber 12 x 12.5N/A

Olympic Sites Date of IssueThemeDenominationPrinterQuantityDesignPerforationFirst Day Cover Cancellation12 March 1976 Place Ville Marie and Notre-Dame Church$1British American Bank Note Company 4 520 000 Designed by Jean Mercier and Pierre Mercier 13.5N/A12 March 1976 Olympic Stadium and Velodrome $2British American Bank Note Company 4 120 000 Designed by Jean Mercier and Pierre Mercier 13.5N/A

Ceremonies Date of IssueThemeDenominationPrinterQuantityDesignPerforationFirst Day Cover Cancellation18 June 1976 Flame Ceremony8 centsAshton-Potter Limited 38 500 000 Designed by Peter Swan 13.5N/A18 June 1976 Opening Ceremony20 centsAshton-Potter Limited 15 400 000 Designed by Peter Swan 13.5N/A18 June 1976 Victory Ceremony25 centsAshton-Potter Limited 12 600 000 Designed by Peter Swan 13.5N/A

1976 Summer Paralympics The 1976 Olympiad for the Physically Disabled, lasting from August 3 to 11, marks the twenty-fifth renewal of the International Stoke Mandeville Games, which take place annually in England except for every fourth year, when they move to the nation staging the Summer Olympics.

The site of the competitions will be Centennial Park, a facility in the Borough of Etobicoke, a part of Metropolitan Toronto. The park contains a stadium, two Olympic standard pools, a gymnasium, a double rink arena, and even a ski hill which will serve as a backdrop for archery, one of the first sports ever introduced to the disabled. The Olympiad will feature, among other events, swimming, track and field, shooting, weightlifting, snooker and table tennis.

This commemorative features a mixed-media painting by Tom Bjarnason, an internationally known Toronto illustrator. He has chosen to portray an archer as the embodiment of skill, strength and confidence, on a background of fresh, spring green, signifying growth and hope.

Date of IssueThemeDenominationPrinterQuantityDesignPerforationFirst Day Cover Cancellation3 August 1976 Olympiad for the Physically Disabled20 centsCanadian Bank Note Company, Limited 12 400 000 Designed by Tom Bjarnason 12 x 12.5N/A

1976 Winter Olympics The 1976 Winter Olympic Games were held in Innsbruck from 4 February to 15 February. The capital of the Austrian province of Tyrol, also hosted the 1964 Winter Olympics. Rolf Harder, the designer of the Innsbruck Winter Games stamp, studied both Fine Arts and Graphic Arts at the academy in Hamburg, and worked professionally in that city before coming to Canada in 1955. He has created a graphic design using the official Innsbruck Olympic Symbol combined with a stylized snow crystal. The blue-grey background represents a cold winter sky and serves to dramatize the five bright colours of the Olympic rings. Date of IssueThemeDenominationPrinterQuantityDesignPerforationFirst Day Cover Cancellation6 February 1976 XII Olympic Winter Games, Innsbruck, 197620 centsCanadian Bank Note Company, Limited 11 050 000Ray Webber 12 x 12.5N/A

1980 Winter Olympics The stamp for the 1980 Winter Olympic Games at Lake Placid, N. Y., was designed by Clermont Malenfant of Design G, Montreal. Using an action shot of a skier, by photographer Dinh Ngoc Mô, the design emphasizes the strenuous physical activity of Olympic winter sports. Canada. Post Office Department. [Postage Stamp Press Release], 1980. Date of IssueThemeDenominationPrinterQuantityDesignPerforationFirst Day Cover Cancellation23 January 1980 Lake Placid, 1980, Olympic Winter Games35 centsCanadian Bank Note Company, Limited 14 300 000 Designed by Clermont Malenfant and based on a photograph by Dinh Ngoc Mô 13.5N/A

1988 Calgary Olympics Designer Pierre-Yves Pelletier of Montreal uses a stylized, diagonal-screen interpretation of sports photographs as seen on previous stamps issued for the Calgary Olympic Winter Games. Anyone with information on the First Issue is welcome to contribute.

1986, First Issue

Date of IssueThemeDenominationPrinterQuantityDesignPerforationFirst Day Cover Cancellation13 February 1986 Olympic Winter Games Site, Calgary, 1988 34 centsAshton-Potter Limited 16 500 000 Designed by Pierre-Yves Pelletier 12.5 x 13 Calgary, 13 February 1986, Black

1986, Second Issue The second issue of Calgary Winter Olympic stamps features two of the Olympic sports: hockey, one of Canada's favourite sport, and the biathlon, which is steadily growing in popularity.Canada Post Corporation. [Postage Stamp Press Release], 1986. Date of IssueThemeDenominationPrinterQuantityDesignPerforationFirst Day Cover Cancellation15 October 1986 Biathlon, Calgary, 1988 34 centsCanadian Bank Note Company, Limited 7 825 000 Designed by Pierre-Yves Pelletier 13.5 x 13N/A15 October 1986Ice Hockey, Calgary, 1988 34 centsCanadian Bank Note Company, Limited 7 825 000 Designed by Pierre-Yves Pelletier 13.5 x 13N/A

1987, Third Issue The third issue of Calgary Olympic Winter Games stamps features bobsleigh and speedskating. Date of IssueThemeDenominationPrinterQuantityDesignPerforationFirst Day Cover Cancellation3 April 1987 Speed Skating, Calgary, 1988 36 centsCanadian Bank Note Company, Limited 15 300 000 Designed by Pierre-Yves Pelletier 13.5 x 13N/A3 April 1987 Bobsleigh, Calgary, 198842 centsCanadian Bank Note Company, Limited 10 700 000 Designed by Pierre-Yves Pelletier 13.5 x 13N/A

1987, Fourth Issue The fourth issue of Calgary Olympic Winter Games stamps features cross-country skiing and ski jumping. Date of IssueThemeDenominationPrinterQuantityDesignPerforationFirst Day Cover Cancellation13 November 1987 Ski Jumping, Calgary, 198836 centsCanadian Bank Note Company, Limited 8 200 000 Designed by Pierre-Yves Pelletier 13.5 x 13N/A13 November 1987 Cross-Country Skiing, Calgary, 198836 centsCanadian Bank Note Company, Limited 8 200 000 Designed by Pierre-Yves Pelletier 13.5 x 13N/A

1988, Final Set The final set of Calgary Olympic Winter Games stamps appears on the eve of the Games themselves. The stamps feature alpine skiing, figure skating, luge and curling.Canada Post Corporation. [Postage Stamp Press Release], 1988. These stamps, and the entire 11-stamp set dedicated to the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary, were designed by Pierre-Yves Pelletier of Montreal. The images featured were created using a unique diagonal half-tone dot screen on photographs of athletes in action. The screen was specially designed by Mr. Pelletier for the stamp series.

Date of IssueThemeDenominationPrinterQuantityDesignPerforationFirst Day Cover Cancellation12 February 1988 Alpine Skiing, Calgary, 1988 37 centsAshton-Potter Limited 8 192 500 Designed by Pierre-Yves Pelletier 12 x 12.5N/A12 February 1988 Curling, Calgary, 198837 centsAshton-Potter Limited 8 192 500 Designed by Pierre-Yves Pelletier 12 x 12.5N/A12 February 1988 Figure Skating, Calgary, 198845 centsAshton-Potter Limited10 550 000 Designed by Pierre-Yves Pelletier 13 x 12.5N/A12 February 1988 Luge, Calgary, 198874 centsAshton-Potter Limited10 912 500 Designed by Pierre-Yves Pelletier 13 x 12.5N/A

1992 Winter Olympics Canada Post Corporation will honour the XVI Olympic Winter Games, being held this year in France, with a commemorative stamp booklet of five se-tenant stamp designs. The stamps are being issued on February 7, 1992 - a day before the Games officially open in Albertville.Canada Post Corporation. Canada's Stamp Details, No. 5, 1992, p. 15-17. Five separate sports have been chosen to represent Canada's participation in these Olympic Winter Games. Among the most popular and spectacular, these include alpine skiing, figure skating, ski jumping, hockey and bobsledding.