Half of London 2012 tickets were kept from home fans

Only half of the seats for some of the prime events at the London Olympics were sold to the British public, leaked figures reveal.

Figures seen by the London Evening Standard show the extent to which the public was squeezed out at the cycling, swimming, rhythmic gymnastics and the opening and closing ceremonies. Usain Bolt’s victory in the 100m final at the Olympic Stadium was staged in front of a crowd comprising 31,000 home fans – 51 per cent of ticketholders.

The data will raise suspicions that many tickets were snapped up by corporate guests, sponsors, media companies and VIPs. But London 2012 chief Sebastian Coe will hail ticketing as a major success at a presentation to the London Assembly next week.