(ATR) Free admission to the London Olympics will be up for grabs thanks to a Tickets for Troops partnership unveiled Tuesday by organizers.
Speaking at the Olympic Park in East London, LOCOG chair Sebastian Coe announced that members of the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force can sign up for a shot at some of the 10,000 free tickets on offer to the Games.
"It's a goodly number," he said of the portion reserved for those in uniform. "They are across a range of sports and sessions."
Also Tuesday, Coe urged civilians without tickets to be patient because there will be a second round of applications focusing on those people left out by the first.
"We're all sports fans," he told assembled media.
"There are hundreds of thousands of tickets available from now until June 24, and people will be alerted as to how to get in to that second round of applications."
Troops will enter a similar ballot should they want tickets to the Games.
"I don't know any other host city that has done anything quite like this," Paralympic champion Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson said at Olympic Park. "The guys in the armed services put their lives on the line for us every day, and it’s important for us to say thanks."
She also sympathized with those still lacking tickets.
"I didn't get any tickets in this ballot," she said, "but it’s the fairest way to give them out."
"As an athlete, it’s really exciting to see how much people want to come and see the Games. Sometimes in the media there's not always huge support for it, but so many people around the country want to come to London to see it."
Captain David Thomas of the Princess of Wales's royal regiment also spoke of his excitement at possibly being at the Games next summer and congratulated LOCOG on the initiative.
"I think it’s a great opportunity for the Armed Forces to be able to get tickets. I think it’s especially good that they'veeven made provisions for guys deployed in Afghanistan, so they'll still be able to get there even though they are deployed."
Tickets for Troops is being funded by London 2012's Ticketshare scheme, which sees proceeds from prestige hospitality seats used to provide tickets to worthy causes.
"I am delighted that so many troops and their families will be able to attend this important national event," said Tickets for Troops chairman Lord Marland. "This support makes a real difference to the troops who are doing such an extraordinary job during these difficult times."
Set up in 2009, Tickets for Troops provides members of the Armed Forces with free tickets to major sporting, entertainment, musical and cultural events. Since its launch, more than 250,000 tickets have been donated to 90,000 troops registered on its website.
Written and reported in London by Christian Radnedge.