The external structure of the 80,000 capacity venue is complete, work has started on the field of play and the roof cover is nearing completion. The installation of the black and white seats started last week and will continue at a rate of around 700 a day.

Jacques Rogge, International Olympic Committee President, said: 'The Olympic Stadium is the centrepiece of the Games because it is where, during the Opening Ceremony, the athletes and spectators’ Olympic dreams become reality and it is also where the Games come to an end as the flame is extinguished after 16 days of exciting competition.

'Having helped to put the 2012th seat in place, I can now picture what spectators and athletes lucky enough to be here on 27 July 2012 will experience and I am sure that they will be impressed.

'The progress that has been made on the Stadium, and in the Olympic Park in general, is truly impressive and I congratulate the entire London 2012 team on their work.'

Sebastian Coe, London 2012 Chairman, said: 'In just over two years time, the eyes of the world will be on the Olympic Stadium. 80,000 Olympic and Paralympic fans will be there, watching athletes fulfil their dreams, and I'm honoured to be joining President Rogge to install the 2012th seat today.

'Our message to the people of the UK is that tickets go on sale in March 2011, so sign-up to our ticketing registration scheme now to be in the front row for information about tickets and seats for London 2012.'

David Higgins, Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) said: 'Over the last two years, the Olympic Stadium has risen from the ground and changed the skyline of east London.

'The start of the seat installation clearly demonstrates the strong progress we have made in creating the venue that will be at the heart of the action in 2012. With the finishing line in sight, we remain on track to complete construction of the Stadium next summer.'

Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the Olympics, said: 'Already five years to the day since he announced that London had won the bid, it is fantastic that Jacques Rogge is here to install the 2012th seat. It is a symbolic moment and proof of our commitment to deliver on our bid promises.'

The seats are being manufactured in Luton and are being delivered to the Olympic Park in batches. The black and white colour scheme and the dynamic pattern will create a look that both compliments the architecture and reflects the incredible energy and endeavour that will emanate from the Olympic Stadium in 2012.

Work has also begun on creating the correct ground conditions for the running track and the turf for the field events. Over the coming months, ducts and a drainage system will be installed and the base layers will be laid in preparation for laying the turf and track next year.

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

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For further information please contact the Olympic Delivery Authority Press Office on +44 (0)20 3 2012 700.

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.

As it heads towards its £2bn budget for staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games, LOCOG has seven domestic Tier One Partners - adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF and Lloyds TSB. There are seven domestic Tier Two Supporters – Adecco, ArcelorMittal, Cadbury, Cisco, Deloitte, Thomas Cook and UPS. There are eighteen domestic Tier Three Suppliers and Providers – Airwave, Atkins, Boston Consulting Group, CBS Outdoor, Crystal CG, Eurostar, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, GSK, Gymnova, Holiday Inn, John Lewis, McCann Worldgroup, Mondo, Next, The Nielsen Company, Populous, Ticketmaster and Trident.

There is now one domestic Tier One Paralympic Games Partner, Sainsbury’s.

The Worldwide Olympic Partners signed up for London 2012 are Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos Origin, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Samsung and Visa.

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

• More than 4,500 reinforced concrete columns installed as the foundations
• 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
• Work has begun on the fit-out of the 700 rooms and spaces within the Stadium, including fitting toilets and tiling showers in the changing rooms
• The 450-tonne cable net roof structure has been lifted into place
• 14 lighting towers which sit 60 metres above the field of play have been lifted into place and the fitting of the power cables has started
• The covering of the cable net roof has almost been completed, which will provide the correct conditions for athletes on the field of play and cover two-thirds of spectators.
• Landscaping work has begun including trees planted, a green wall installed and the trial sowing of meadows which will flower in this summer.

• The Stadium will host the athletics events and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies during the London 2012 Games
• 80,000 seats in Games mode and flexible design allows venue to be scaled back to 25,000 seats in legacy
• 33 buildings had to be demolished and over 800,000 tonnes of soil was taken away to help create the construction platform for the Stadium - enough to fill the Royal Albert Hall nine times over
• The total Stadium site covers an area of 40 acres
• The Stadium has a total floor area of 108,500 sq m in Games time  
• The Stadium will contain around 10,000 tonnes of steel - it will be the lightest Olympic Stadium constructed to date
• There will be around 700 rooms and spaces within the Stadium, including medical rooms, showers, toilets and changing rooms.