Royal Mail has defended the decision not to create individual stamps for Paralympic gold medallists.
It is releasing individual stamps to celebrate each gold medalwinning performance in the Olympics but all Paralympics winners will feature across a series of six stamps instead.
It is the first time commemorative stamps have been introduced for the Paralympics but the difference has led to criticism, with some saying Olympic and Paralympic athletes should receive equal treatment.
"How are we going to inspire this generation and the future children of this generation if you exclude our Paralympians from the full celebration of the UK's sporting achievements?" said one person commenting on the British Paralympic Association website. "Are they somehow not good enough or perhaps not worthy enough to have their individual achievements recognised?"
Another said: "Royal Mail will be perfectly able to issue personal stamps. May take a little longer due to the amount of golds our Paralympic athletes are expected to win, but that is no excuse."
However, the British Paralympic Association said it was "very pleased" with the plans, adding it had been working closely with Royal Mail to ensure Paralympians were properly honoured.
In a statement on its website it said all gold medallists in the Paralympics would feature in a series of six stamps to be released after the Games and, like Olympic winners, get a gold post box in their home town. It said Royal Mail had also provided a £200,000 prize fund which would be divided up equally between all the gold medallists.
"This is not the exactly the same as Team GB where each gold medal winning performance is commemorated by a stamp, but this is for a very good reason," the statement added. "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."
Tim Cowen of Royal Mail said: "We're honoured to be celebrating the achievements of ParalympicsGB. We will be doing more than any other postal administration in history to celebrate the Paralympic Games and Paralympic athletes. For the first time ever, all gold medal winning Paralympic athletes will be asked to appear on Royal Mail's Paralympics GB gold medal winners stamps. The special issue of six stamps, featuring groups of gold medal winning Paralympians, will be issued on 27 September 2012, in conjunction with the British Paralympic Association."
