Olympic countdown clock unveiled

ITN

The official countdown to the London 2012 Olympics has begun, reports ITN.
Champion rowers Pete Reed and Andy Hodge and sailors Iain Percy and
Andrew Simpson pulled away the covers of a giant countdown clock in
London's Trafalgar Square which showed they now have 500 days to be
ready to defend their Olympic titles at London 2012.
The digital clock will be counting down to the evening of July 27,
2012, in days, hours, minutes and seconds.
It is designed to reflect the look of the Games, according to Omega
who are the official timekeepers.
The beams of light on the clock are inspired by London and its
connection with the Meridian line in Greenwich, the home of time.
The steel clock is 6.5 metres high, five metres long, weighs around
four tonnes and took ten people two days to assemble.
Meanwhile, tickets for the London 2012 Olympic Games have gone on
sale, 500 days before the Opening Ceremony gets under way.
A total of 6.6 million tickets are available to members of the public,
who have until April 26 to apply.
Organisers are keen to stress that tickets will not be sold on a
first-come first-served basis, so there is no need to panic-buy on the
first day.
"We have 2.5 million people saying they want tickets, but there is no
hurry," said 2012 chairman Lord Coe.