Eight million tickets available for 2012 London Olympics

More tickets will go on sale for the Olympic Games than originally stated, increasing from 7.7 million to 8 million, announced the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) on Monday.

According to LOCOG, more tickets will go on sale for the Paralympic Games, increasing from 1.5 million to 2 million.

75 percent of tickets will be available directly to the public via a ballot process and tickets will go on sale from spring 2011.

LOCOG CEO Paul Deighton said, "This is our first major announcement on ticketing and we commit to updating again later this year, with more information around pricing."

"Ticket sales make up a significant part of our income, but at the same time we are completely committed to ensuring our events are accessible, that tickets are affordable and that our venues are packed to the rafters with sports fans," added Deighton.

Tessa Jowell, Olympics Minister, said, "watching an Olympic event in your home country is a once in a lifetime experience. That's why it's critical that as many tickets as possible end up in the hands of the general public. With 10 million tickets going on sale next year people will have even more of a chance to get the ticket that makes their dream come true."