Free Entry for 1948 Olympians; Testing Times at Wimbledon

Tickets for 1948 Olympians

British Olympians from the 1948 London Games will be given free tickets for next year's Olympics.

The British Olympic Association revealed its plans Monday to offer around 125 Olympians a pair of tickets matched to the sport they competed in.

The BOA is also planning a series of special events for the 1948 Olympians, including a celebratory lunch at Team GB House and a tour of the Olympic Village. Some will also have the opportunity to participate in the torch relay.

With the support of London 2012 organizers, the BOA is providing all Team GB Olympians from previous summer and winter Games with the opportunity to purchase four tickets for Games sessions.

As part of the Ticketshare program, the BOA will also distribute 700 tickets, free of charge, for British Olympians to accompany young athletes, nominated by the national governing bodies, to watch a session of the Games together.

"I am sure the presence of the Olympians in the 2012 venues will have an exciting and inspirational effect on Team GB and the many thousands of British Olympic fans" said BOA chairman Colin Moynihan.

Wimbledon Gets Ready for 2012 Tennis

The 2011 Wimbledon tennis championships that started in London on Monday are serving as a test event for the Games.

Rafael Nadal, the Beijing 2008 men's Olympic tennis champion, was first on Centre Court to open the defense of his Wimbledon title.

London 2012 staff will scrutinize venue and security operations at SW19 over the two weeks of the championships, concluding with the men's final on July 3.

BOA director of sport Clive Woodward was among Olympics organizers in attendance on day one of the tournament.

The All England Club's grounds staff face a big test next year to prepare the courts for the Olympics tennis competition--it gets underway just three weeks after the end of the grand slam tournament.

Nadal told Sky Sports on Monday he's already thinking ahead to 2012 as this year’s Wimbledon gets underway.

"The Olympics are a very special event," he said ahead of his opening round match.

"For me to be there in Beijing 2008, enjoying two weeks in the village with the rest of the sportsmen from around the world, but especially from Spain, was unforgettable for me.

"To be in the opening ceremony on the first day is something that you don't know if you'll have the chance to repeat in your life."

Second Round of Ticket Sales

Olympics organizers are making 2.3 million moretickets available in the second round of sales, beginning Friday.

The first ten days of sales until 6pm on July 3 will only be open exclusively to those who applied in the initial application phase which happened in March and April, but were not allocated any tickets.

Tickets for 310 sessions across a range of sports are available; 1.7 million of the remaining tickets are for football, with play spread across six stadia around the U.K.

A total of 1.5 million of the 2.3 million tickets will be priced at $81 or less, and over half a million pegged at $32 or under. Sixty sessions with special prices are still available – 33 are in football, and 27 in the other sports.

Applicants who received tickets in the initial sales phase also get another chance to buymore from July 8 to 17.

LOCOG aims to get two thirds of the 1.9 million original applicants to the Games; only 700,000 were successful in the last phase.Tickets will be on sale at a range of price categories, and across a range of sports. It was also confirmed that over a million additional tickets will be put on sale to the British public from December 2011 right up until Games time, as LOCOG releases contingency tickets and returns from client groups.

VisitBritain Campaign

Tourism agency VisitBritain unveiled a new international TV campaign Monday that aims to increase visitor numbers in the build-up to the Olympics and beyond.

British actress Dame Judi Dench, "Slumdog Millionaire" actor Dev Patel, actor Rupert Everett and chef Jamie Oliver star in the adverts.

It's the agency's first global TV campaign for ten years and marks the start of an ambitious four-year marketing program. The adverts will be shown in Britain’s key inbound tourism markets and growth areas for the future such as China and India.

"With the eyes of the world on us, we have an unprecedented opportunity to showcase Britain and then to close the sale with great travel deals and offers from our partners," said VisitBritain CEO Sandie Dawe.

"This campaign aims to inspire visitors to come and explore for themselves. Over four years, we aim to attract four million extra overseas visitors, who will spend £2 billion across Britain."

Written by Mark Bisson