Most successful Serbian tennis players, including women’s tennis stars Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic, have been featured on the stamps specially created for the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games. However, there was a misunderstanding in the process. Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic were protesting because not all the stamps have the same value, and that was why they didn’t attend the promotion of the stamps. Janko Tipsarevic’s stamp is worth 20 dinars, Jelena Jankovic’s and Nenad Zimonjic’s 30 dinars, Ana Ivanovic’s 40 dinars, and Novak Djokovic’s 46 dinars. Haha, who cares about the value of the stamps?
“We are all proud to grace the stamps, but there was a misunderstanding in communication and certain details should be explained to us,” said world No.2 Ana Ivanovic.
World No.5 Jelena Jankovic said: “We are all part of the Olympic team. All the players should have the same value. That is a big honor, we just need to determine the value.”
Vesna Rudic of the Post Office explained that the value of the stamps isn’t in proportion with the value of the athlete. And it makes sense, she made a comparison with banknotes — both those worth 1000 dinars and those worth 100 dinars are important. Although, it is a bit strange that Djokovic’s stamp is worth the most. But again, who cares. I don’t think Ana and Jelena should be offended and angry. (source in Serbian: B92)
Is this a cultural thing? No one in the U.S. thinks that someone on an airmail stamp is more “valuable” than someone on a first class stamp. Or that Lincoln, who is on the $5 bill, is honored more than Washington, who is on the $1 bill. On the other hand, since all three stamps were issued around the same time, perhaps there is some justification for the hurt feelings.
Of course, I think they should be boycotting the Olympics, not fighting over who has the best stamp.
It’s not a cultural thing, in Serbia your importance is not in proportion with the value of the bill you’re on, just like in the U.S. My first thought when I read the news was that they were vain and angry to be “worth” less than someone else. However, there is also a possibility that people from the post office promised them something, but in the end did something completely different which made Ana and Jelena angry. Anyway, the post office issued these stamps as one package, so it had to contain all the values. This fact makes Ana’s and Jelena’s complaining even more absurd.
ana should have the 46 dinar one