Coe : Olympic ticket demand phenomenal

Lord Sebastian Coe has told the International Olympic Committee there's been "phenomenal and unprecedented" demand for London 2012 tickets.

The London 2012 chairman was reporting on progress of next year's Games to the IOC session in Durban, and said that with such demand there was bound to be disappointment.
National Olympic committees are given around 12% of the total tickets to sell, with a further 5% going to the IOC and international sporting federations.
Coe said: "Both domestically and internationally the demand for tickets has been phenomenal, I would actually say it has been unprecedented. 1.9million people applied for 22million tickets, we have 6.6million to distribute.
"We have sold out in 23 out of 26 sports, that's an extraordinary vote of confidence in Olympic sport, not just in Britain but around the globe.
"We promised full venues and affordable prices. There has been disappointment, with that level of demand it is inevitable.
"My message is 'If you have tickets you have not yet sold then please send them back to us'. I know people who would like them."
Coe admitted there would be challenges over transport during the Games next year, but denied that routes being reserved for Olympic traffic would cause chaos, adding that £6.4billion had been spent on transport improvements.
He added: "Any talk of transport arrangements being chaotic is very wide of the mark. The Olympic route network will cover just 1% of the roads.
"I will bust another myth; taxis and public buses will use the majority of the Olympic route network. We will ensure that London keeps working."
Olympics minister Hugh Robertson also took part in the presentation and said the Government was confident they could deliver "a safe and secure Games".
However, IOC president Jacques Rogge was forced to step in to try to defuse a brewing row over whether London should pay for the accommodation of more than 200 chefs de mission when they travel to the city for a meeting next month.
It has been customary for host cities to cover those costs, but Coe said there had been "no ambiguity" that London had never planned to do so.
Rogge said: "The issue of the accommodation is going to be studied by the co-ordination commission and we will try to find a solution."
Rogge also praised London's progress saying: "The nuts and bolts are in place and we have no doubt the operational issues will be delivered in due time.
"We are thrilled by the success of the sale of tickets. It's something unheard of and proves the great love of sport, not just among British people, but also overseas among the 205 countries."