London 2012 announces Olympic Games ticket prices

The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) today reveals its ticket pricing structure across the 26 sports of the Olympic Games.

Tickets for the Olympic Games go on sale in March 2011 and there will be a range of prices and initiatives to make tickets as accessible as possible. Following detailed venue and sport schedule analysis, 800,000 more tickets will be made available than announced in March this year.

Key facts about the ticket price strategy include:

• 8.8 million tickets will be available for the Olympic Games
• 75% of tickets on sale to the public from March 2011
• 90% of tickets £100 or under
• Two-thirds of tickets £50 or under
• 2.5 million tickets £20 or under
• Young people 16 and under benefit from 'Pay Your Age' scheme
• People aged 60+ pay £16

Ticket prices will be per session, the length of which will vary from sport to sport. There will be 649 separate ticketed sessions across the 26 sports during the Olympic Games. All tickets for events in and around London will include a travelcard, and LOCOG has absorbed the impact of the recent VAT increase to ensure tickets represent the best possible value for spectators.   

Tickets for young people, schools... and over 60s

London 2012 has also revealed details of an exciting new scheme, 'London 2012 Ticketshare'. A levy on the price of  prestige hospitality packages will allow 100,000 tickets to be donated to pupils in schools across London and the UK via the London 2012 Get Set education network and the Olympic and Paralympic-style schools sports competition. The scheme is backed by the Government and the Mayor of London. 

A 'Pay Your Age' scheme will also operate for over 200 Olympic Games sessions. This will see anyone who is 16 and under at the start of the Games pay their age – and anyone aged 60 and over pay £16. A total of 1.3 million tickets will be available through this scheme.

More tickets for disabled people than ever before

London 2012 will have more tickets on sale for disabled people than any previous Olympic Games. Using the highly accessible ticketing website, there will be seating options available for visually impaired and hearing impaired people, as well as those who cannot manage steps and wheelchair users. In addition, the cost of a ticket for a wheelchair space will include the cost of one companion seat next to it.

LOCOG Chair Seb Coe said: 'We have three clear principles for our ticketing strategy – tickets need to be affordable and accessible to as many people as possible; tickets are an important revenue stream for us to fund the Games; and our ticketing plans have the clear aim of filling our venues to the rafters.

'When we won the right to stage the Games, we made a promise to inspire young people to choose sport and our ticket prices will get as many young people as possible to the Games. The 1.3 million tickets in the Pay Your Age scheme and the London 2012 Ticketshare scheme reflect this ambition, and the fact that we will offer 2.5 million tickets at £20 or under will also deliver this aim.

'We have one very clear message to the public. Sign up to our ticketing website to get all the information you will need over the next five months as we build up to the start of ticket sales in March next year.'

View the full list of ticket prices on the ticketing website and a draft Olympic competition schedule 

Read more about the thinking behind the pricing structure from Paul Deighton, LOCOG Chief Executive

Read the full media release