Taiwan World Games FDCs

Taiwan FDCs
Name: The World Games 2009 Kaohsiung
Date of Issue: 16 July 2009
Number: Com. 314

The first world games were held in Santa Clara, USA in 1981. The subsequent games were hosted by London, England; Karlsruhe, Germany; the Hague in the Netherlands; Lahti, Finland; Akita, Japan; and Duisburg, Germany. The eighth World Games was held in Kaohsiung from July 16 to 26, 2009.

Denominations:
NT$5.00: Kaohsiung Arena (高雄綜合體育館)
This modernistic gym is equipped with standard Olympic facilities, making it a great venue for basketball and volleyball games as well as 200-meter races in indoor track and field. On the lower right of the stamp are the mascots of the World Games 2009 Kaohsiung: Kao Mei and Syong Ge. Dressed in red and blue respectively, these "water spirit" babies have a water drop for a head. Their bodies will light up after absorbing solar energy with the little spheres on their heads. The design reflects a concern for international issues such as green energy and environmental protection.

NT$12.00: The Main Stadium for the World Games (世運主場館)
The Main Stadium was built to the standards of an IAAF (the International Association of Athletics Federations) Class I certified international sports stadium. The open-air design does away with the need for air conditioning. This avant-garde architecture will be the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the World Games 2009 Kaohsiung. On the lower right of the stamp is the games' logo — a stylized Chinese character Kao (as in Kaohsiung), "written" in a colorful and rhythmic flowing ribbon, resembling the beautiful shapes of athletes in competition. The design aims to convey the concepts of "harmony, friendship, rhythm, flight, progress and joy."