London 2012 clock starts ticking ahead of ticket sales
Giant clock at Trafalgar Square starts counting down the 500 days until the London 2012 Games
A giant clock counting down to the start of the London 2012 Olympics has been unveiled in Trafalgar Square hours before tickets go on sale.
Over six million tickets will become available on Tuesday morning marking 500 days until the Games begin in the capital, and fans have a six-week window in which to apply online.
The clock was revealed by four Olympic gold medallists from Team GB – rowers Pete Reed and Andy Hodge and sailors Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson.
Lord Coe, winner of two Olympic golds, said: “It [the clock] will be a daily and hourly reminder to everyone who visits Trafalgar Square that the countdown to the start of London 2012 has well and truly begun and that the greatest show on earth is soon coming to our country.
“Athletes’ careers are based on timing and I hope that this milestone moment excites and inspires them to compete at the highest level in 2012.”
Mayor of London Boris Johnson added: “The countdown begins right now in the very heart of the capital as we gear up to stage the best Games in living memory and the excitement spreads outwards from Trafalgar Square to every corner of our great city.
“In 500 days time the atmosphere will be electric as the Olympic Cauldron bursts into flames signalling the beginning of the world’s greatest sporting event and London 2012’s glorious legacy unfolds.”
