4hotels.co.uk: Early Birds Catch The Olympic Baton

LONDON, ENGLAND, February 02, 2011

There are already 2 million people waiting, and the list is guaranteed to be growing even while you read this - so to avoid disappointment the organisers of the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games are urging spectators to book early by signing up to their online waiting list.

And who can blame them?

For the 2012 London Olympics are the most hotly awaited games of all time with the whole world eagerly watching every brick that is laid, every blade of grass that is sown and every seat that is riveted into the Olympic Park main stadium.

There are currently over 10 million tickets up for grabs with the promise that "subject to availability" tickets will be on sale right up to the very last minute before every scheduled event. But with ticket prices starting at GBP50 with the most expensive at a colossal GBP725, there are no medals for guessing which tickets are going to be viewed as gold dust and be snapped up faster than an Ussain Bolt autographed sweat band!

But to avoid getting in a sweat for tickets when they go on sale on March 15th organisers are calling on the public to sign up now online to reserve tickets for the events they particularly want to see. If on the face of it the ticket prices seem high, it should be borne in mind that this is going to be a unique, once in a lifetime, "I was there" moment in history...and besides, it is the ticket sales that will fund one quarter of the cost of building and staging the 2012 Games that feature 19 days of competition across 26 sports, and 39 disciplines, with more than 300 events and nearly 650 sport sessions, with the majority of it being at the brand new Olympic Village and Park in 2.5sq km of east London land that was once industrial and then derelict.

And of course that is part of the attraction and appeal of coming to the Games, for it won't just be about the sport, although a number of 'Henman Hills' will make just 'being there' even more accessible for those on a tight budget. As well as all the action in store, the Olympic Park is also going to be a green backdrop for the sporting showcase with a full-on festival atmosphere including markets, events, cafes and bars set among beautifully landscaped gardens, with quieter spaces and wildlife habitats to the north of the complex to ensure each day spent at the Games will be as enjoyable as it can possibly be. In fact, the newly constructed site has been pitched as a "colourful riverside setting" and will be the United Kingdom's largest ever area of urban river and wetland planting with over 4,000 native trees, and 300,000 wetland plants, festooned with kingfishers and otters. Sounds like the ideal place to get away from all that pumping testosterone and adrenaline!

For those planning on making a real holiday of it, there are over 100,000 hotel rooms to choose from in London so a warm welcome is assured, with most of those being situated in the heart of the West End making it easy for visitors to enjoy the capital's shops, restaurants, and theatres on foot.

But the great thing is the tickets to the London Olympic and Paralympic Games include free travel on public transport for the day of the event. And talking of free - it's worth noting of course that the road cycling event as well as the Marathon and Triathlon all take place on the streets of London where access is available to everyone for nothing.

But what of the tickets to the main events in the brand new gleaming Olympic Park? Well, here's a quick preview. As mentioned, tickets to see the 100m Men's Final for instance are priced from GBP50 to GBP725. But the heats are GBP20 - GBP150. To see Chris Hoy in the cycling will cost 50-325 for the Gold Medal event, and start from just 20 for the heats. Equestrian events in Greenwich Park are from 20-95 for the preliminary rounds, moving to 35-275 for the finals. As for the Opening Ceremony on July 27th 2012 tickets start - ironically - at 20.12 with the highest being 2,012.

When London won the right to stage the 2012 Games, the organisers made the pledge that the occasion would be used to "inspire young people to choose sport." Honouring that pledge, a 'pay your age' scheme has been introduced for one-third of the sport sessions (1.3 million tickets) allowing young people aged 16 or under on the day of the Opening Ceremony to literally pay their age for a ticket. Thus a 12 year-old and an 8-year-old will pay GBP12 and GBP8 respectively. A family of four then with a 12 year-old and an 8 year-old could therefore attend the Olympic Games for just GBP60. For over 60s, the price is a very reasonable GBP16 per ticket per person.
The date on everybody's mind might be July 27th for the Opening event - but March 15th 2011 is perhaps the date all those wishing to attend the Games should really have in mind, for that is when the tickets go on sale, and it is important to book now to ensure obtaining a ticket does not leave you sighing with disappointment as you get disqualified from the Games for failure to follow your trainer's advice.

Besides, as the old Greek saying goes - it's the early bird that catches the Olympic baton.

You can choose from a wide selection of London hotels here: http://www.4hotels.co.uk/uk/london-east.html