London Olympics Massively Oversubscribed

(ATR) London 2012 must now process more than 20 million Olympic ticket requests, including a late surge that forced organizers to extend the midnight deadline.

The application window instead closed Wednesday at 1.a.m. to allow for sluggish server speeds, a problem LOCOG insists did not amount to a "crash" as some news outlets reported.

"The system didn’t crash, because it was taking out money all the time, but it did slow down for some people and that’s why we extended it," a spokesperson for the organizing committee told Bloomberg.

By the Numbers

Around 1.8 million people submitted requests for the 6.6. million tickets on sale to the public during the six-week application window.

Over 50 percent of the 650 sessions are oversubscribed, with tickets to be allocated via ballots.

The opening ceremony alone, taking place on July 27 at the 80,000-seat Olympic stadium, is more than 10 times oversubscribed.

Over 95 percent of applications came from UK residents.

Track cycling, rhythmic gymnastics, triathlon, modern pentathlon, equestrian (cross country) and the opening and closing ceremonies were the first events to sell out and will now go to ballots.

The majority of the sessions in swimming and tennis are also oversubscribed, with the distribution of tickets to be decided by the same method.

"We are thrilled with the response right across the board, in all sports and all sessions," LOCOG chair Sebastian Coe said Wednesday.

"Certain events have seen massive demand – for example the opening ceremony, which is more than 10 times oversubscribed, so there will understandably be disappointment and we will find a way to go back to those people with other tickets."

"What is most encouraging is that the majority of applications are for multiple tickets and for several sports, which shows that friends and family are planning to go to the Games together."

Athletics is not yet sold out, meaning those who have applied for morning sessions - less expensive and less popular than the evenings - can expect to get what they asked for.

Luxury corporate hospitality packages costing up to $7,460 per person are also shifting in high numbers, according to Bloomberg. Prestige Ticketing Ltd, London2012’s official supplier, has sold roughly a quarter of its allocation thus far.Thomas Cook in the U.K. and Jet Set Sports in the U.S. are also selling luxury packages.

The Job Ahead

Following the first phase of ticketing, LOCOG warned people to be vigilant of unauthorized websites claiming to sell tickets to London 2012. LOCOG has a website checker on www.tickets.london2012.com that will show whether the website is genuine.

In the biggest ticketing exercise ever undertaken in the U.K., LOCOG will now check and de-duplicate applications before running ballots across oversubscribed sessions and process applications.

Money will be taken from accounts beginning May 10, and customers will be notified about their successful ticketing applications in June.

LOCOG did not reveal how many tickets across the range of sessions and sports remain unsold. These will be made available in June and July as part of the second phase of the ticketing process.

Written by Mark Bisson