The history of the Roller Sports Federation of Portugal has kept pace with the history and evolution of national roller sports on wheels.
After the arrival of the first roller skates in Portugal, in 1873, thanks to Queen Maria Pia — who promoted games and demonstrations of roller skating skills at the Royal Convent of Mafra — roller sports began to increase in popularity over time.
In 1922, the Portuguese Hockey League, was created to regulate roller hockey, roller skating and field hockey sporting activities in Portugal. Two years later, in 1924, the Portuguese Hockey Federation was founded, changing its name to Portuguese Roller Sports Federation in 1933, and again, in 2005, to Roller Sports Federation of Portugal (Federação de Patinagem de Portugal, FPP).
The FPP is proud to have supported and promoted the growth and development of all its disciplines over the course of its hundred years proven by the extensive list of titles won across borders — more than 860 podiums — and to have accompanied the sport as it evolved with the integration of more recent and urban disciplines such as Inline Freestyle, Roller Freestyle and Skateboarding, the last of these having been an Olympic event since 2020.
The Roller Sports Federation of Portugal, as we know it today, celebrates its centenary in 2024, a milestone that cannot pass without widespread celebration.
This issue of four stamps based on the FPP’s 100th anniversary aims to celebrate the tradition and robustness of Roller Hockey, the aesthetic harmony of Artistic Roller Skating, the endurance and dynamics of Roller Speed Skating and the irreverence and agility of the urban disciplines, represented here by Skateboarding. It also pays tribute to the people and athletes who, over the course of those hundred years, have devoted themselves to the development and triumphs of roller sports in Portugal.
Roller Hockey (João Rodrigues Skating Stamp)
The first Roller Hockey tournament, held in 1917, sparked interest in the game in Portugal and from that point on various groups were created to practise it. In 1947, for the first time, Portugal conquered both Europe and the world in Roller Hockey, winning the World Championship and the European Championship, in the Carlos Lopes Sports Pavilion in Lisbon, which converted the Portuguese into die-hard fans of this exciting sport, which came to be regarded as a national sport.
Roller Speed Skating (Diogo Marreiros Skating Stamp)
Roller Speed Skating was initially a recreational sport in Portugal, but skating gymkhanas sparked curiosity and interest in the sport. In 1979, the Portuguese Roller Sports Federation decided to create Corridas em Patins, or Skate Races, as the discipline was initially known, which reached a peak with the appearance of inline skates. Purpose-built rinks were decisive for the excellent results achieved, notably the first three medals won at the European Championships in 2002, with the first Portuguese gold medal in the history of this sport being won in 2008.
Artistic Roller Skating (Ana Walgode Skating Stamp)
Artistic Roller Skating, a sport that combines skating technique with body expression and music, arrived in Portugal in the 1950s, but only began to achieverecognition in the 1970s. Portugal won its first gold medal in 1999 and, since then, has shown its strength in this discipline, achieving various European and World titles.
Skateboarding (Gustavo Ribeiro Skate Stamp)
There is no precise date, but Skateboarding is thought to have been introduced to Portugal in the early 1980s, where it was an immediate hit. Skateboarding provided possibilities that did not exist within what were regarded as “conventional” sports; it was a sport with almost no rules or “uniforms”, which could be practised on the street. The first skatepark in Portugal was created in 1986, in the Algarve region. Quick to grow and extremely popular among younger generations, it became an Olympic sport in 2020 and is one of the FPP’s most recent areas of focus.
