London Olympics Opening Ceremony Tickets Yet to be Sold

With the London Olympics opening ceremony just hours away a number of the most expensive tickets for the four-hour-long ceremony remain to be sold but organisers are confident there will be no empty seats for the extravaganza.

The 80,000-seat stadium in Stratford has top-end tickets worth £2,012 and £1,600 still available but should they not be sold today it is likely the seats will be distributed either through the Ticketshare scheme to young people or filled by off-duty members of the armed services. The seats will not be sold off at reduced prices despite speculation to the contrary yesterday. 

A spokesperson for Locog, the London organisers, said last night: “We are confident there will not be any empty seats tomorrow. Sebastian Coe did not say there would be price cuts. He said that we will always look at ways that we can get young people to the Games.”

The top-end prices have been criticised and the take-up of hospitality packages has been slow despite growing excitement over both the Games and the ceremony, which starts at 12 minutes past eight tonight. Two dress rehearsals for Danny Boyle’s extravaganza have been held this week in front of crowds of 60,000. Boyle himself spoke on both nights to ask the audience to “keep the surprise” and not disclose details of the £27m ceremony. Feedback to the organisers in the wake of the rehearsals has been overwhelmingly positive. The show seems certain to be well received. 

There is burgeoning expectation that Britain will enjoy a hugely successful Games with a third-place finish in the medal table not beyond reach. But Colin Moynihan, chairman of the BOA, yesterday sounded a note of caution. Moynihan insists Britain will have delivered an “absolutely stunning” Games if they can match the achievements of four years ago in Beijing.