The stamp dedicated to J. Daliņš has a print run of 100,000 copies, while the print run of the special cover is 1,000 copies. The face value of the stamp is € 1.00, which corresponds to the postage of letter-post items in the weight class up to 20 grams within Latvia. The new philatelic releases have been designed in cooperation with Valmiera City Council.
The visual design of the stamp is based on a photo from the archives of Valmiera Museum, while the cover features the stadium in Valmiera named after the race walker J. Daliņš.
J. Daliņš is a remarkable Latvian sports performer: he is one of the most outstanding Latvian track and field athletes of all time. During his professional career J. Daliņš won a vast number of race walking competitions in Latvia and worldwide. In 1932 the X Olympic Games were held in Los Angeles, the U.S., in which the famous athlete earned a silver medal in a 50 km race walk event, securing the first Olympic medal in the history of Latvian sports.
In 1934, when participating in the first European Athletics Championships in Turin, Italy, he won a gold medal in a 50 km race walk and became the first European champion in walking. The athlete was awarded the Order of Three Stars for outstanding achievements.
The athlete’s fame was also reflected in popular culture: the song Ak, kaut man Daliņa kājas būtu (Oh, if only I had Dalinš' legs) created by the singer Jānis Āre was widely sung in the 1930s and included in the very first record released by Riga radio.
