Tickets for the London 2012 Olympic Games are on sale around the world from Tuesday. In the UK and within the EU, people can apply for 6.6 million tickets until 26 April 2011.

School children are joined by (from L to R) Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, former gymnast Nadia Comaneci, Lord Sebastian Coe, former track and field athlete Carl Lewis, Swimmer Rebecca Adlington and Sports Minister Hugh Robertson as they attend a photocall to officially launch the sale of tickets for the London 2012 Olympic Games on March 15, 2011 in London, England. From today 6.6 million tickets will be available over a 42 day period. The tickets cover 645 sessions of 26 sports in 34 competition venues for the Olympic Games which begin in 500 days time. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

UK and EU residents can apply via www.tickets.london2012.com at any time during the 42-day application period. It is not a first come, first served system and there is no advantage to applying earlier in the process.

From 15 March, ticket and accommodation packages will also go on sale in the UK through Thomas Cook branches and on their website www.thomascooklondon2012.com.

LOCOG chairman Sebastian Coe said, "This starts the journey for those who have been dreaming of getting hold of an Olympic ticket since the day we won the bid in 2005 - these really are the greatest tickets on earth. "

He believed "a ballot is the fairest way of allocating tickets" if any sessions are oversubscribed.

There are 645 separate sessions currently planned across 26 Olympic sports. Full price tickets start at 20 pounds across all sports.

Besides, up to one million tickets are available for sports fans outside the UK via National Olympic Committees and their Authorised Ticket Resellers.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet