Uncertainty abounds about the series of world stamp exhibitions managed by the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP), according to a recent statement from the Swiss-based philatelic group. Responsible for exhibiting at the international level, the FIP has more than 90 “member federations,” including Canada, with eligibility to enter world stamp exhibitions it grants patronage or auspices. But with governments around the world enacting widespread travel bans, event cancellations and social-distancing measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, several major international exhibitions have been cancelled. “Due to the rapid spread of the Coronavirus since it began in December 2019, almost all of our members are in lockdown of some type or another,” said FIP President Bernie Beston in a statement issued March 26 on behalf of the FIP board of directors. Continue reading →
Typically ‘oversubscribed,’ international exhibitions will survive the COVID-19 pandemic according to David McLaughlin, a national-level judge and the chair of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada’s international liaison.
