1.8 million Apply for Over 20 million London 2012 Tickets

According to London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) chairman Sebastian Coe, ticket applications for the 2012 London Olympics have far exceeded supply with more than half of the 650 sessions oversubscribed and set to go to a ballot.

More than 20 million tickets were applied for in total by the deadline, which was pushed back an hour until 01:00 GMT on Tuesday, April 26. A surge in demand caused a temporary glitch which forced the extension with the opening and closing ceremonies among the events to have been declared sold out.

Over than 95 per cent of the 1.8 million people who applied were British residents hoping to get a seat for ‘the greatest show on earth’ with a total of 6.6 million tickets having been made available for the general public at next year’s Games.

Organisers had hoped to raise about £400 million from ticket sales during a six-week window and Coe stated: “We are thrilled with the response right across the board, in all sports and all sessions.

“Certain events have seen massive demand – for example, the opening ceremony, which is more than 10 times oversubscribed, so there will understandably be disappointment and we will find a way to go back to those people with other tickets.”

Organisers revealed that track cycling, rhythmic gymnastics, triathlon, modern pentathlon, equestrian (cross country) and the opening and closing ceremonies were sell-out events. All will go to a ballot, as will most of the sessions for swimming and tennis.

A spokesman for London 2012 claimed that tickets allocated to those with insufficient funds to carry out their transactions from May 10 will not be immediately withdrawn but all applicants are strongly advised to ensure that they have enough money in their accounts to cover their applications.

Customers will receive confirmation in June, if successful, of what events they have tickets for, while unsuccessful applicants will be given further chances in June and July to buy unallocated tickets.

Coe added: “What is most encouraging is that the majority of applications are for multiple tickets and for several sports, which shows that friends and family are planning to go to the Games together.”