Source: www.insidethegames.biz

By Tom Degun

London 2012 have received 1.8 million requests for tickets for the Olympic men's 100 metres final which is expected to see Jamaican superstar and reigning Olympic champion Usain Bolt face off against American rival Tyson Gay.

The 1.8 million fans aiming to attend the blockbuster session at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford on August 5 next year are competing for just 40,000 seats as half of the 80,000 capacity venue is blocked for sponsors, the media and VIPs, including International Olympic Committee (IOC) members.

Applicants will find out by 24 June whether they have got any of the 6.6 million Olympics tickets available but what not be informed of what tickets they have received despite having the money taken from their account beforehand.

The price of Olympics tickets ranges from £20 ($33) to £725 ($1,179) for the showpiece 100 metres final and reach up to £2,012 ($3,270) for the opening ceremony on July 27 with people likely to check their bank accounts for a clue to what tickets they have been allocated.

London 2012 Organisers are looking to make £500 million ($813 million) from ticket sales as part of bid to raise £2 billion ($3.2 billion) through private means with a total of 20 million ticket applications having been made.

London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe said: "It is really important as 25 per cent of everything that you see out there in terms of the organisation of these Games is our ability to nail our revenues from tickets."

Coe has also defended the method for selling Olympics tickets with money taken from account before individuals know what event they will be attending.

He said: "It was very clear from us, very early on that we would be taking the money out and we would then let people know what they got.

"It is easier to do that all at the same time rather than in dribs and drabs.

"This was always the way."

Such was the level of demand in the recent ballot for tickets that the Olympic Stadium could have been sold out at least 20 times over and millions of are set to be left disappointed with other big events, such as the diving events at the Aquatics Centre featuring British star Tom Daley, nearly as oversubscribed as the 100m final.

Contact the writer of this story at tom.degun@insidethegames.biz