On June 5, 2023, La Poste issues a round block from the “Sport Couleur Passion” series. After the European continent, the American continent, the Asian continent, the African continent, Oceania is honored with golf, wrestling, weightlifting, surfing, sports shooting and para-cycling.
Golf
A precision sport, golf consists of sending a ball with a club through the various holes of a course, making as few strokes as possible. It originates from Scotland, where it has been played since the Middle Ages. Today there are more than 30,000 courses around the world, including 770 in France, where 600,000 enthusiasts practice it. Its practice requires the use of several types of clubs, depending on the distance and the obstacle to be overcome. Abandoned after the 1904 Olympics, this sport returned to Rio in 2016. For the Paris Games in 2024, the events will take place at the Golf National in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.
Struggle
A combat sport practiced since Antiquity and contested in a circular area, wrestling consists of knocking the opponent to the ground, placing him on his back or immobilizing him. There are several disciplines: Greco-Roman wrestling, freestyle wrestling and women's wrestling. Greco-Roman wrestling is practiced using the arms and the upper part of the body, freestyle wrestling also allows the use of the legs and the upper and lower body. The fights last twice three minutes. This sport was introduced in the ancient Olympic Games, in 708 BC. The nations with the most medals in wrestling are Russia, the United States, lian, Turkey and Japan.
Weightlifting
A strength sport, weightlifting consists of lifting weights above the head. It has been practiced since ancient times and was introduced to the Olympic Games in 1896. Women have had their own world championships since 1987 and have participated in the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games in 2000. Athletes must perform three trials in two different movements (snatch and clean and jerk) since the Montreal Games in 1976. Between the Antwerp Games in 1920 and those in Berlin in 1936, France dominated this discipline with nine Olympic titles. After the Second World War, the countries of the East, and especially the USSR, imposed their supremacy. Since the 1990s, this sport has seen China, Turkey, Greece and Iran collect medals.
Surf
Originally from Hawaii, where it has been practiced by Polynesians since the 15th century, surfing consists of standing as long as possible on a surfboard called a "shortboard" while riding the breaking waves and maintaining your balance. by adapting to the movements of the water. It is practiced on sites called "spots", bathed by waves conducive to sliding. The most famous are located, in addition to Hawaii, in Tahiti, California, on the Basque coast and in Nazaré, Portugal, where the waves can reach a height of more than 20 meters. A codified discipline, surfing has been on the program of the Olympic Games since Tokyo 2020. For Paris 2024, the events will take place 15,000 km from the capital, as part of the Teahupo’o spot in Tahiti.
Shot
A precision sport, sport shooting has been on the program since the 1896 Games. Today, more than 100 nations send participants to sport shooting events. There are three types of shooting events at the Olympic Games: rifle, pistol and shotgun. The rifle and pistol events are practiced in shooting ranges, where it is a question of hitting targets located at 10, 25 and 50 meters away, with three shooting positions: kneeling, prone and standing. For “plateau shooting”, the participant tries to shoot down thrown clay platters with a shotgun. The United States has won by far the most Olympic medals in shooting events. They are followed by China, Russia and Italy, which won three gold and three silver medals in Rio.
Para-cycling
A bicycle sport suitable for people with physical disabilities, para-cycling (or disabled cycling) has been practiced for several decades and was introduced to the Paralympic Games in 1984. It takes place on the road, on the track or in mountain bike mode, in line, against the clock and in the team relay. There are several categories of classification based on the physical impairment of athletes. The technique is all about pedaling efficiently and maintaining good balance on the bike. The most prestigious competitions are the Paralympic Games, every four years, and the Para-cycling World Championships, every year since 2006.
