The stamps (pictured top) bear images of sports blended with a key London landmark.

One features a fencer lunging forward and meeting the walkway of the iconic Tower Bridge whilst another shows runners bending their way around a track on the home straight to the Olympic Stadium.

Another features a cyclist's bike with the front wheel becoming the London Eye, whilst the other depicts a diver mirroring the 325-foot chimney of the Tate Modern with an arrow-like vertical descent.

The whole set includes two first class stamps suitable for worldwide airmail postage, so that visitors to the capital can post home about their experiences in London.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: "Even fleet-footed Hermes himself would hang up his winged sandals and send his letters through Royal Mail if he saw the quality of these beautiful Olympic-themed stamps.

"It's fantastic that some of London's most iconic landmarks are now set to grace the doormats of millions of homes and businesses, helping to seal our city's status as a world-class destination."

British Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell displays the Royal Mail's Gold Medal stamp

The stamps are available either online or at 5,000 post office branches.

During the Games Royal Mail will also issue special collection next-day Olympic Gold Medal stamps marking every victory by a British athlete or team.

The stamps are also being brought out to mark the fact that London is the first ever city to host the Summer Olympic Games three times.

The public were also given the opportunity to sign enlarged stamps at South Bank.

These are the latest stamps brought out to commemorate the Olympics.

Royal Mail brought out a six-stamp set in 2005, almost a month after London won the bid to host the Games.

Four more were brought out after Beijing 2008 to mark the handover to London.

A three-part series of 30 stamps reflecting the Olympic sports was concluded last year on July 27, whilst in January definitive stamps went on sale for Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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