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| London 2012: Olympics venues stuffed - Lord Coe | |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Olympics venues are "stuffed to the gunnels" with sports fans, London 2012 chairman Lord Coe has insisted amid a row over empty seats. | Olympics venues are "stuffed to the gunnels" with sports fans, London 2012 chairman Lord Coe has insisted amid a row over empty seats. |
| He spoke after hundreds of seats were left unfilled on Saturday and Sunday morning at events including swimming, rowing, tennis and basketball. | He spoke after hundreds of seats were left unfilled on Saturday and Sunday morning at events including swimming, rowing, tennis and basketball. |
| "I don't think you will be seeing this as an issue, long-term through the Games," he said. | |
| Meanwhile, GB swimmer Rebecca Adlington has won her 400m freestyle heat. | |
| She is now due to swim in the final at 20:18 BST. | She is now due to swim in the final at 20:18 BST. |
| Lord Coe spoke out as the row mounted over unfilled seats in several Olympic venues. | |
| At some venues, seats in the accreditted "Olympic family" areas - often with the best views - have remained unfilled. | |
| The seats are reserved for groups including officials, sports federations, athletes, journalists and sponsors. | |
| Empty seats "in the very earliest phases" of the Olympics were part of "the nature of that accredited area", Lord Coe told a press conference. | Empty seats "in the very earliest phases" of the Olympics were part of "the nature of that accredited area", Lord Coe told a press conference. |
| "[The ticket-holders] are trying to figure out how they're going to divide their time, what their responsibilities are, and how and when they get dragged to any number of venues," he said. | "[The ticket-holders] are trying to figure out how they're going to divide their time, what their responsibilities are, and how and when they get dragged to any number of venues," he said. |
| Lord Coe added organisers would fill some of the empty seats with servicemen and women, as well as local students and teachers. | Lord Coe added organisers would fill some of the empty seats with servicemen and women, as well as local students and teachers. |
| And they would sell more tickets - as they did with about 1,000 tickets on the London 2012 website on Saturday night. | And they would sell more tickets - as they did with about 1,000 tickets on the London 2012 website on Saturday night. |
| Tickets are also given to sponsors and, on Sunday, Visa, British Airways and Lloyds TSB all said they had given the majority of their ticket allocations to customers through competitions and promotions. | |
| 'Experience tainted' | |
| American Paul Fondie, who now lives in Kew, Richmond, said he was frustrated by the number of empty seats at the men's gymnastics at the O2 on Saturday. | |
| He said he and his wife had not been able to take their six-year-old son because they could not get an extra ticket. | |
| "It tainted my experience of the Olympics - it was our moment to come under the microscope and show that London can do it well." | |
| BBC correspondent Andy Swiss said ticketing was a sensitive issue after many fans missed out and the empty seats were a problem Locog would be anxious to solve. | |
| Meanwhile, Mansfield-born Adlington began her defence of the two gold medals she won in Beijing in the 400m freestyle heats on Sunday morning. | |
| Her battle to hold on to her 800m freestyle title will begin with heats on Thursday morning before Friday night's final. | |
| Cyclist Nicole Cooke is competing in the women's road race - the event in which she won Team GB's first gold at Beijing in 2008 - which began on The Mall at 12:00 BST and will finish there at about 16:00 BST. | |
| But she could be forced to sacrifice her own gold medal hopes this time to be a support rider for teammate Lizzie Armitstead. | |
| Andy Murray - who was defeated with his brother Jamie in the tennis doubles on Saturday - will play Stanislas Wawrinka in the singles at Wimbledon. | |
| And Briton Ben Ainslie has begun his quest for a fourth Olympic gold medal as the first day of Olympic sailing begins at Weymouth Bay. | |
| Mystery woman | |
| British teams are competing in basketball, handball, hockey, volleyball, water polo and the football on Sunday. | |
| Meanwhile, the US basketball team - the most decorated in Olympic basketball - will begin their title defence against France later. | |
| Elsewhere in other Olympic developments: | |
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