In the 19th Century, a Frenchman, Baron de Coubertin, mooted the idea of what is now referred to as the first Modern Olympic Games. Held in Athens in 1896, the event was an international meet involving 13 countries and about 300 competitors. From then on, the Olympic Games grew from strength to strength and today, it is one of the grandest events that mankind has ever staged.

This year's 25th Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain promises to be the largest and most representative event in Olympic history. A record number of sportsmen around the world will gather to compete in more sports than ever before. Collectors will get to keep a slice of this history through the Singapore Philatelic Bureau's first-ever Olympic stamp issue, Sport Series - Games of the XXVth Olympiad.

Comprising six stamps and a miniature sheet, the issue depicts Olympic sports popular in Singapore in bold, vibrant colours. The miniature sheet which features varnished figure drawings, exudes energy, vigour and vitality. Figure drawings on the first day covers, presentation packs and postcards also reinforce the idea of energy. Seen in total, the designs seek to exalt the power of the human body.

In line with the Olympic theme of this issue, the first day issue datestamp features a graphic drawing of an athlete's hand clasping a torch. Since this issue will be sold in Granada as well, theme day event datestamps will be issued for each day of the exhibition. The write-ups for the ancillary products are in English and Spanish.

Singapore Post is one of the worldwide sponsors of the 1992 Summer Olympic Games.