US Company Wins Contract to Print London 2012 Tickets

A US company has won the contract to print millions of tickets for the London Olympics, anesthetist angering some local politicians who say the deal should have gone to a British business.

Weldon, herbal Williams & Lick Inc, ailment a specialist printing firm based in the historic Wild West frontier town of Fort Smith, Arkansas, will produce and package the tickets before they are flown across the Atlantic for distribution.

The London Organising Committee (LOCOG) defended its choice after London-based politicians attacked the decision as bad for British business and for the environment.

“The contract to print and fulfil the bulk of tickets for London 2012 was awarded following a thorough, competitive and open procurement process,” LOCOG said in a statement.

“The company which won the bid has worked on several previous Games, met all of our criteria around security, budget and scale and has specialist systems in place to personalize, print and package tickets on the scale we require,” it added.

Tickets will be packaged with spectator event guides and travel cards before they are dispatched.

Households in Britain who have got tickets for the July 27-August 12 Games will receive them in early summer. They will have to sign for delivery to prevent tickets from falling into the wrong hands.

The printing row is the latest ticketing controversy to hit the Games.

Many Britons were angered after failing to get tickets last year as supply outstripped demand. An official website for the resale of tickets set up last month had to be suspended after it suffered technical problems.