XIth Asian Games 29.9.1990

To mark the occasion of Asian Games, the Department of Posts had issued stamps on the 1st Asian Games in 1951 and again on the 9th Asian Games. On the occasion of the XIth Asian Games, the Department of Posts is issuing a set of four special stamps, depicting Athletics (Rs4.00), Cycling (Rs4.00), Archery (Rs6.50) and Kabbadi (Re1.00), the last sport has been included for the first time in Asian Games.

The 10th Asian Games, Seoul, South Korea 16.9.1986

The 10th Asian Games were held from September 20, 1986 to October 5, 1986 in Seoul, South Korea. The city was supposed to host the 1970 games, but it received security threats from neighbouring North Korea, forcing it to give up hosting the games to previous 1966 host Bangkok, Thailand. The venues and facilities of the 10th Asiad were the same venues and facilities used in the 1988 Summer Olympics two years later because this was considered a test event.

All socialist countries including North Korea, Mongolian People's Republic, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Afghanistan and South Yemen except Mainland China boycotted the Games due to political conditions. A spy detonated a bomb behind a vending machine in Gimpo International Airport and killed five people, including a technician, just few days before the Games started.

9th Asian Games 19.11.1982

The 9th Asian Games were held from November 19, 1982 to December 4, 1982 in Delhi, India. An incredible 74 Asian Games records were broken. This was also the first Asiad to be held under the aegis of the Olympic Council of Asia.

A total of 3,411 athletes from 33 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in these games, competing in 196 events in 21 sports and 23 disciplines. The number of participating countries was the greatest in Asian Games history. Handball, equestrian, rowing and golf were included for the first time; fencing and bowling were excluded.

Being returned to the city of its birth Asiad has also reached out to enliven the Pink City of Jaipur and the busting metropolis of Bombay. Rowing, which is one of the four new events added to the IX Asiad, is being hosted at Ramgarh lake about 30 KM from the historic Pink City. The Rowing Regatta comprises of Coxed Focus, Coxed Pairs, Coxswainless Pairs and Single Sculls. The tranquil waters of the lake have been the scene of excitement ever since the commencement of the event on 21st November. The concluding competitions today promises a thrilling final. As the rowing boat are reaching to the finish line at Ramgarh, an array of multicoloured sporting 

Yatches are afloat off the shores of Bombay. Their splendorous sails billowing in cool November winds, the Yatches are gracefully gliding over the gentle waves towards the finish line near the harbour. Yatching event of the IX Asiad commenced in Bombay, India's premier gateway to the west. The competitions are in the international classes of the Fire Ball, Enterprises, OK Dinghy and Wind Glider (Surf board). A series of seven races are being held, one race a day. Good Winds and fair sailing to them.

IX Asian Games (Fourth Issue) 30.10.1982

Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department issued another stamp on IX Asian Games, based on this ancient sport, on 30.10.1982. 

The illustration on the cover is of the Tower Restaurant and viewing gallery in the Asiad Village.

IXth Asian Games 30.12.1981

New Delhi was fast preparing for hosting the IX Asian Games commencing from 19 November, 1982. Construction activities were in full swing to provide the necessary facilities for holding various events during the ASIAD which promised to be amongst one of the most spectacular events in the history of Asian Sports.

This issue, fourth in the series of special stamps on Asian Games, features the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium which would be the venue for sports like foodball and for various athletic events. Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium would be a prominent center of attraction during the games. Besides colorful events of sports and athletics, this Stadium would be the venue of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Asian Games. Aesthetically designed, this Stadium wold be one of the very modern and sophisticated stadium in the world with the capicity of 75,000 seated comfortably in two-tiers of stands.

9th Asian Games 9.11.1981

The 9th Asian Games were held from November 19, 1982 to December 4, 1982 in Delhi, India. An incredible 74 Asian and Asian Games records were broken. This was also the first Asiad to be held under the aegis of the Olympic Council of Asia.

A total of 3,411 athletes from 33 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in these games, competing in 196 events in 21 sports and 23 disciplines. The number of participating countries was the greatest in Asian Games history. Handball, equestrian, rowing and golf were included for the first time; fencing and bowling were excluded.

The stamp, designed by India Security Press, depicts the covered stadium at Rajghat. The design is based on photograph of the model. The First Day Cover design by Champa Lal Meena shows the National Stadium.  

IX Asian Games in 1982 28.7.1981

New Delhi hosted the IX Asian Games in 1982. To commemorate this momentous event, Indian Post & Telegraphs Department brought out a series of stamps during 1981 and 1982. The first set of two stamps in the series depict the Mascot and the Logo of the Games, Jantar Mantar (astronomical observatory) located in New Delhi has been graphically represented in the Logo of the Games. It has been chosen for the reason that it is one of the unique monuments of the host City. Architecturally it is purely Indian and it represents the quest for knowledge and perfection. The Logo also incorporates the sun, symbol of Asian Games. The Mascot of the Games is a dancing Indian Elephant with the sun symbol of the Games as a Bindiya on its forehead.

The stamp depicting the Logo was designed by the India Security Press. Madhusudan Chaudhury designed the stamp showing the Mascot. First day cover was design by Madhusudan Chandhury and the cancellation by Charanjit Lal.

India won gold in Hockey in the 1966 Asian Games 31.12.1966

When India won gold in Field Hockey in the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand.

India Post came out with a stamp to honor the players. Balbir Singh of the Services was one of the four players to be featured on the special commemorative stamp released on 31 December 1966, as a tribute to the Gold medal win at the 1966 Asian Games; the other three were Vinod Kumar, John Victor Peter and Mukhbain Singh.

First Asian Games 1951, New Delhi 4.3.1951

I was only ten years old when the Games came to Delhi. It really was a Godsend for me and my friends because we were officially allowed to bunk from school every afternoon. And so for a week we were at the Stadium regularly. I stayed a little over a km from the stadium so it wasn’t too difficult running there after lunch. I still remember India’s great Levy Pinto win the sprint double, and who can forget Mewa Lal our football captain. There were many others who helped India achieve the second spot in the Games.

I still fondly remember how I got this First Day Cover. The postal department had set up a counter at the stadium for our foreign friends who had come from far and near to watch the games. With, a little pleading the man at the counter agreed to sell us the covers and stamps. But for some strange reason he refused to give us the postmarked covers to take home. He insisted that I write my name and address on the cover and he would do the posting and I could only get it through the normal postal channels. Fortunately, I did get it after two days, and here it is.

The 1951 Asian Games, officially known as the First Asian Games, was a multi-sport event celebrated in Delhi, India from 4 to 11 March 1951. The Games received names like First Asiad and 1951 Asiad by the president of the organising committee Anthony de Mello. A total of 489 athletes representing 11 Asian National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in 57 events from eight sports and discipline. The Games was the successor of the Far Eastern Games and the revival of the Western Asiatic Games. The 1951 Asiad were originally scheduled to be held in 1950, but postponed until 1951 due to delays in preparations. On 13 February 1949, the Asian Games Federation was formally established in Delhi, with Delhi unanimously announced as the first host city of the Asian Games. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) member Guru Dutt Sondhi and the Maharaja of Patiala, Rajpramukh of Patiala and East Punjab States Union and president of the IOA HRH Yadavindra Singh played a significant role in the inception of Asian Games and in organising the 1951 Asiad. The organising committee of the Games invited almost all the independent Asian countries of the time except Soviet Union and Vietnam, due to the political structure of those nations.

The stadium was built in 1933 as a gift for Delhi from the Maharaja of Bhavnagar, it was originally multipurpose stadium and named the Irwin Amphitheatre. It was designed by Anthony S. DeMillo and opened by Lord Willingdon.  It was renamed National Stadium just before the 1951 Asian Games,

National Stadium was used as the venue for all the events of the Games. The official logo of the First Asiad depicted a bright sun in red with 16 rays and a white circle in the middle of the disc of the sun and eleven rings, representing each participating nation, on a white background, symbolising peace. Japanese athletes won the most golds and overall medals, with 24 and 60 respectively; while the host nation India had the 15 golds and 51 overall medals with most bronzes (20) and finished at second spot in a medal table. The next Asian Games organised by India were the 1982 Asian Games, some 31 years later.

On 4 March 1951, the First Asian Games were officially opened. The list of the guests included— India's first President Rajendra Prasad, first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru, cabinet members of Indian Government, diplomatic corps and representatives of participating Asian NOCs. The National Stadium was filled with an estimated 40,000 spectators. A 31-gun salute was fired from the ramparts of the Purana Quila (Old Fort), adjacent to the National Stadium, in the honour of guests and participants of first Asian Games. After a speech by the president of Asian Games Federation, HRH Yaduvendra Singh, President Rajendra Prasad officially opened the Games.