Ingemar Stenmark and Thomas Wassberg are heroes in Sweden.
It is therefore not surprising that they are on stamps.
But the fact that they have actually been in countries like Paraguay and Belize is perhaps not as expected.
Sweden has a rich history of many stars in winter sports. From Sixten Jernberg, to Thomas Wassberg, to Toini Gustafsson, to Gunde Svan, to Ingemar Stenmark. Everyone has their personal favorite and there has been no stopping the popular love for our heroes over the years.
Therefore they are immortalized
It is not so strange if one would like to print stamps on all our heroes. But their popularity has also extended far beyond Sweden’s borders. It would not have been surprising to see Thomas Wassberg on a stamp in a country full of winter sports tradition. But over the years he has appeared on stamps of far more surprising countries.
A few years ago, Nordic Philately, a magazine for stamp collectors, did a review of winter heroes that have become stamps in countries all over the world. Among other things, it appears that Sixten Jernberg became a stamp in Guyana in 1992, when successful Olympians around the world were recognized on their stamps. Panama has also noticed Jernberg, but also Assar Rönnlund. His wife, Toini Rönnlund, has also been stamped in Haiti.
READ MORE: When Gunde Svan exposed his friend Thomas Wassberg as a cheat on prime time: “Stop lying now!”
Foppa – in Gambia and Sierra Leone
Ingemar Stenmark won double Olympic gold in 1980, both in slalom and giant slalom. It was celebrated in Paraguay, of all countries, which gave him several stamps a few years later. And in the same country, Thomas Wassberg has also been immortalized with a stamp. But Wassberg is popular in several countries. He really made an impression, and according to the magazine can be found on stamps from Belize, North Korea(!) and Guinea.
Wassberg seems to have been particularly fond of Guinea, as he is said to have been there as a stamp both with a portrait image, and when he went diagonal skiing.
Also worth mentioning is that Peter Forsberg’s classic penalty goal from the 1994 Olympics, which was a stamp in Sweden, was also a stamp in Gambia and Sierra Leone. Perhaps the most unexpected of all, however, is that Anette Norberg, the curling legend, became a stamp in Djubouti in 2013.
READ MORE: When the national team chose Wassberg before Svan – who couldn’t keep the competitive devil out: “Crying in the forest”