A center of excellence for understanding and fostering the Olympic Movement through collectibles

AIWOS 2024

TENNIS -- From Game of Kings to Sport for All

Today more than 1.2 billion people participate in tennis, making it the fourth most popular sport worldwide. This eight-frame thematic exhibit presents the story of tennis starting with medieval forms of tennis. The narrative centers on modern lawn tennis, including the evolution of clothes, equipment, courts, rules, tournaments and tennis organizations over the past 150 years. The focus on Grand Slam tournaments and the Olympic Games is balanced by an in-depth look at adult and youth recreational tennis.
The thematic story is illustrated using a broad variety and depth of philatelic elements. Having published over 30 articles on tennis philately, the author has incorporated this original research into the scope and content of the exhibit. The viewer will see major errors, unique artist drawings that represent the only examples in private hands, and many other scarce or unique philatelic items that help to tell the story of tennis.
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Jacobs Norman

Sports Philatelists International

Norman F. Jacobs is a retired infectious diseases and internal medicine physician who combined full-time clinical care with education and research, hospital epidemiology, and medical informatics. He has published over 40 scientific papers. He began collecting stamps at age 9. His current philatelic interests include tennis, the Olympic Games, snowboarding, Covid-19, HIV, medical postal history, Vermeer, Portugal, and Portuguese Colonies. He has written more than 30 articles on the philately of tennis, the Olympics, and Covid-19, for the Journal of Sports Philately, The Philatelic Exhibitor, The American Philatelist, and The Military Postal History Society Bulletin. He is the Vice-President of Sports Philatelists International. He was a member of the Organizing Committee for Olymphilex 96. He was the representative from Sports Philatelists International at the AICO General Assembly in 2014. His tennis exhibit has appeared twice in the US Champion of Champions competition.