Two million register for London Olympic tickets

Two million people have registered an interest for tickets for the London 2012 Olympic Games, despite the prices being higher than initially promised, the head of the organising committee said Saturday.

Paul Deighton expects a further 500,000 to sign up for information updates by the time the 6.6 million tickets for the public go on sale in March.

“One of the key things for us in March is to make sure that things go smoothly,” said Deighton, the chief executive of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).

“With two million people (on the database now), and probably nearer 2.5 million by March, it is also about making sure they are transferred into the ticketing system.” He added: “The sheer scale of this is mind-blowing.”

The organising committee needs to get 25 percent of its revenue from ticket sales and is keen to pack out the stadia with screaming fans “as it works for the athletes, it works for television and the atmosphere”, Deighton said.

LONDON, Dec 25, 2010, AFP