No individual stamp honour for Paralympic gold medallists
| 11:19 UK time, Wednesday, 8 August 2012
Instead, six first-class stamps featuring group pictures of the medallists will be produced after the Games finish on 9 September.
Blogger is unhappy with Royal Mail's decision and has written to them saying:
"Why is Royal Mail only planning to credit the Paralympian gold winners with a group shot, when currently you are issuing individual stamps for Olympic gold medallists? They may be first class stamps, but this feels like second class treatment."
In answer to questions they received on why athletes wouldn't be honoured individually, the British Paralympic Association have released a statement on their website. They say that having worked closely with Royal Mail, they are "pleased" with plans for stamps celebrating the London 2012 Paralympic Games, adding that the decision not to produce a stamp for each gold medal winning athlete is a logistical one.
"In Beijing, ParalympicsGB won 42 gold medals over 10 days of competition, including nine in one day, and we are expecting a similarly world-class level of performance from our athletes this time around. As a result, it is logistically and practically impossible for Royal Mail to produce an individual stamp for every one of the gold medallists for ParalympicsGB."
Disabled journalist, TV producer and sports fan, Paul Carter, is sceptical and struggles to understand the "difference between printing 41 and 25 stamps. Isn't it just a case of pressing Control P on a keyboard?"
He also questions why the British Paralympic Association didn't challenge Royal Mail on their decision to differentiate between Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
"I think they have acquiesced to them a little bit. Sometimes I wish the BPA would stand up and show a bit more teeth. Tell Royal Mail that if they weren't going to produce individual stamps for Paralympic gold medallists, then they shouldn't have done it for the Olympians."
The BPA points out that recognition of Paralympians by Royal Mail through stamps, "is a first in the history of the Paralympics."
Like their Olympic counterparts, each Paralympic gold medallist will also be honoured by Royal Mail with a gold painted post box in their home town.
Comment number 1.
At 9th Aug 2012, steveallman wrote:Couldn't agree more with Paul - if RM knew they couldn't cope with producing stamps for all gold winners - then they shouldn't have produced them for any.
If anyone's interested in my take on things it's here:
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Comment number 2.
At 9th Aug 2012, Steve C Young wrote:Not good enough, Royal Mail. Our Paralympians deserve EXACTLY the same level of support that our outstanding Olympians do.
The UK *invented* the Paralympics. It is beholden on UK institutions to acknowledge that - and WHY.
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Comment number 3.
At 11th Aug 2012, pakora wrote:The Post Office was going to do nowt til 2 Bristol women shamed them into compromise.
Also not mentioned - they negotiated £200,000 from PO 2b paid to BPA but split equally between all the paralympic gold medalists.
It wasn't what the women asked for but the best, at this stage in the proceedings, they could achieve.
We now need to ensure BPA do this and not keep any for themselves!!
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