Stamps honoring the achievement of every British gold medal
winner at this summer's London Olympics will be available from lunchtime the
next day, Royal Mail has announced.
It will be the first time a host country has used action shots
for gold medal stamps and issued them immediately during the Games - and it is
the first time Royal Mail has ever issued next-day stamps.
They will be a special way for people across the country to
celebrate Team GB's gold medal wins and help mark their amazing achievement.
Moya Greene, Royal Mail chief executive
Wherever possible, the design will feature pictures of the
relevant Team GB athlete or team from their final.
However, a photograph from a previous heat or the medal
being presented on the podium may also be used.
Moya Greene, Royal Mail chief executive, said: "Our
gold medal stamps will be unique souvenirs of the Games, marking the great
achievements of our talented athletes.
"They will be a special way for people across the
country to celebrate Team GB's gold medal wins and help mark their amazing
achievement."
The stamps will be on sale by lunchtime the next day at 500
selected Post Offices across the UK. They will then be distributed three times
during the Games to a further 4,500 Post Offices.
Royal Mail issued its first Olympic Games stamps in 1948,
with four stamps bearing the five Olympic rings.
Olympic stamps were not issued to mark the 1908 London Games
because back then stamps only bore images of the reigning monarch.
