How it works
A total of 47 gold medals will be on offer over 10 days. The programme comprises 24 track events, 16 field events, two combined events and five road races. Heats, qualification rounds and some combined event disciplines will be held in the mornings with finals in the evenings. The number of rounds varies by event. All five road events will finish on the Mall in central London
Who's hot
It is impossible to look beyond Usain Bolt, the world record holder and double Olympic champion at 100m and 200m. East African countries tend to dominate the distance events, while eastern European nations are strong in the field events
Home hopes
World champions heptathlete Jessica Ennis and triple jumper Phillips Idowu are solid bets for gold. Marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe will hope to overcome her Olympic hoodoo
The road to London
Mar 2011 European Indoor Championships, France
Aug 2011 World Championships, South Korea
Mar 2012 World Indoor Championships, Turkey
May 2012 Olympic test event, London
Jun/Jul 2012 (tbc) UK Olympic trials
The stage
The heart of the Olympic Park in Stratford, the 80,000-capacity Olympic Stadium
What they say
"I'm always thinking about 2012. It's not even the fact that it's the Olympics - it's the crowd. They are going to be just wonderful and it'll be one of the best Olympics ever"
Usain Bolt
Did you know?
The marathon was changed from just under 25 miles to 26.2 miles at the London 1908 Olympics so it finished in front of the royal box
Competition dates
3-12 August 2012
Ticket prices
Morning sessions £20-150
Evening sessions £50-450
Evening sessions - men's 100m final; Days 8 and 9 £50-725
Tempted to be there?
You can apply for tickets between 15 March and 26 April. Visit www.tickets.london2012.com
The application process for tickets for the Paralympic Games will begin on 9 September 2011, and tickets for the London 2012 Festival (part of the Cultural Olympiad) in October 2011
