The cable net roof will be covered with material next spring providing the correct conditions for athletes on the field of play and covering two-thirds of spectators.

ODA Chairman John Armitt said: 'The successful lift of the Stadium’s cable roof is another milestone reached on the construction of this flagship venue.  It has been a complex engineering and construction challenge, complicated by the wind and rain in recent weeks. We remain firmly on track and will lift the lighting towers into place early next year, taking the Stadium to its full height.

'We continue to make good progress across the project though there are still challenges ahead. The next year will be our toughest as the number of workers increases and activity on the Olympic Park reaches its peak so we cannot afford any complacency.'

Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee, said: 'This is another important milestone for the Olympic Stadium, which will be the centrepiece of the Games in 2012.  It is exciting to see so much progress being made on the Stadium and on all of the Olympic Park which is becoming reality, with a landscape that will transform east London at Games time and beyond.'

Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell said: 'Raising the roof is yet another important milestone on the road to the Games. Iconic venues such as the Stadium and the Aquatics Centre will come to symbolise London in 2012 and, thanks to the rapid progress of the build, they are already having a real impact on the London skyline.

'The fact that we keep hitting our key milestones on or ahead of  schedule means that we are now looking ahead to what is perhaps the most intensive and challenging period of the build with excitement and confidence.'

Construction on the Olympic Stadium started in May 2008 and progress to date has included:

Next year, a 650 tonne crane will be assembled in the middle of the Stadium site to lift the 28m high lighting gantries on to inner ring of the cable net roof, taking them 60m above the field of play.

Notes to Editors:

Images of the Stadium’s roof lift and time-lapse footage can be viewed or downloaded here: http://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/locog?nav=pr131802929

Progress on the Olympic Stadium can be viewed on the webcam on the London 2012 website: http://www.london2012.com/webcams/olympic-stadium-camera-2.php
 
For further information please contact the Olympic Delivery Authority Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 700.

- Ends -

The construction of the venues and infrastructure of the London 2012 Games is funded by the National Lottery through the Olympic Lottery Distributor, The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Mayor of London and the London Development Agency.

Find out the latest from London 2012 HQ on our blog.

• More than 4,500 reinforced concrete columns installed as the foundations
• 28 steel sections of the roof compression truss lifted into place - each weigh 85 tonnes and are 15m high by 30m long
• 112 steel rakers fixed to act as the terracing supports to hold the 55,000 seats in the upper tiers
• 12,000 pre-cast concrete terracing units for the seating installed
• All five bridges and their abutments in place, connecting the Stadium island to the rest of the Park
• The fit-out of the 700 rooms and spaces within the Stadium, including changing rooms and toilets is progressing.