Ottawa - Ask John Q. Public to name Canada's national sport and he will likely respond: hockey! But what most Canadians may not realize is that Parliament officially declared lacrosse Canada's second national sport in 1994. On July 6, Canada Post will issue a domestic rate stamp (51¢) to mark the World Lacrosse Championships to be held in London, Ontario from July 13 to 22, 2006.
London will host more than 20 field lacrosse teams in four divisions, plus fans from around the globe. In addition, a World Lacrosse Festival will feature an international lacrosse trade show, with more than 120 exhibitors, and events will update fans and players on new equipment, upcoming events and other aspects of the sport.
First observed by Jesuit missionaries in the 17th century, lacrosse was considered to be a gift from the Creator by natives, and playing the game was seen as an act of thanksgiving. It also served as physical training for war, and a means of resolving tribal conflict and redistributing wealth through wagers. Native legends speak of intertribal contests that lasted for days, spread out over miles and included up to 1,000 participants.
According to several websites, it was Jesuit missionary Jean de Brébeuf who called the stick-and-ball game "la crosse" because the bent shape of the sticks, he wrote, reminded him of a Bishop's crozier.
Both English and French settlers in the Montréal area became interested in the game and, by 1844, were arranging competitions with the Iroquois. The Montréal Lacrosse Club was formed in 1857, and by the end of the 19th century, there were lacrosse clubs in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia.
The sport was played at the Olympics in 1904 and 1908 and as a demonstration sport in the 1928, 1932 and 1948.
Prime Ministers Lester B. Pearson and Pierre Elliott Trudeau both played lacrosse in their youth, as did NHLers Wayne Gretzky, Cyclone Taylor, Newsy Lalonde, Lionel Conacher, and Conn Smythe.
The 2006 World Lacrosse Championships include teams from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, the Iroquois Nation, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, South Korea, Sweden, Tonga, United States of America, and Wales. Canada, the Iroquois Nation, the U.S., Japan, England, and Australia are entered in the championship division.
The World Lacrosse Championships stamp was designed by Tom Yakobina, and illustrated by Yvan Meunier. Brightly coloured images of tickets dominate the centre space. The colours represent the original three leagues playing the Championships, red, blue and orange. Small flags at the top of each coloured ticket denote which countries belong to each league. The tickets also contain other relevant information such as the date of the Championships and the location. Designer Tom Yacobina explains that it was a simple, but interesting means of representing a great deal of information about the Games in a very graphic and compelling way.
The illustration of the lacrosse player is inspired by cover art of a book on lacrosse, written by well-known coach Robert Scott, from the 1970s. Meunier copied the positioning of the player and the sense of movement but modernized the image with contemporary gear. The original image contained three players in scrimmage; this in-play grouping will be used on the Official First Day Cover. On the booklet, the players will be in full colour. Meunier also provided the illustration of the nets, placed behind the tickets to give a sense of depth to the stamp.
This 51¢ stamp, which measures 41 mm x 30 mm (horizontal), will be available in booklets of 10 stamps. Lowe-Martin printed 3,000,000 stamps using lithography in eight colours and pressure sensitive gum on Tullis Russell Coatings paper. The Official First Day Cover will read: LONDON ON.
Additional information about Canadian stamps can be found in the Newsroom section of Canada Post's website, and a downloadable high-resolution photo of the Lacrosse commemorative stamp is in the Newsroom's Photo Centre. Stamps and Official First Day covers will be available at participating post offices, and can be ordered online by following the links at Canada Post's website www.canadapost.ca, or by mail-order from the National Philatelic Centre. From Canada and the USA call toll-free: 1-800-565-4362 and from other countries call: (902) 863-6550.
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