20 million tickets requested for London Olympics 2012

Applicants requested more than 20 million tickets for the 2012 London Olympics, organisers said on Wednesday after the six-week sales window closed.

Around 1.8 million people submitted requests for tickets and more than half of the 650 sessions are oversubscribed and will be allocated by ballot.

A total of 6.6 million tickets went on sale to the public, with organisers promising every applicant an equal chance of success.

Track cycling, in which British riders are expected to win medals, is one of the sold-out events and a ballot will be held to decide who receives tickets.

A ballot will also be held for rhythmic gymnastics, the triathlon, modern pentathlon and the cross-country equestrian events.

Both the opening and closing ceremonies in the main Olympic Stadium will be sold out, with demand for the opening festivities 10 times oversubscribed.

And tickets for most of the sessions in swimming and tennis will also have to go to ballot after high demand, organisers said.

The deadline to apply for the tickets had to be extended by an hour after the official website crashed late Tuesday due to the heavy last-minute demand.

Chief organiser Sebastian Coe said: "We are thrilled with the response right across the board, in all sports and all sessions.

"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."

Ticket prices range from £20 ($33, 22.50 euros) to £2,012 ($3,320, 2,270 euros).

Applications will be processed between May and June this year and successful applicants will be notified in June 2011.

London 2012 needs to get 25 percent of its revenue from ticket sales and needs to raise £2 billion from the private sector to stage the Games.

Organisers have yet to reveal when the second sales stage will take place.