ArcelorMittal Orbit sculpture opened on Olympic Park but concerns over price

Turner Prize-winning artist Anish Kapoor has called for the entrance costs to the ArcelorMittal Orbit sculpture he designed on the Olympic Park to be as low as possible.

The twisting red tower, situated next to the Olympic Stadium by the entrance of the Park, was declared officially complete on Friday but Kapoor, who designed it in conjunction with structural designer Cecil Balmond, said the £15 entry free during Games-time was a "lot of money for people".

Legacy bosses told .they shared his concerns and would be doing all they could to get the price down after the Games.

Sir Keith Mills, the London 2012 vice-chairman said Locog made a decision to not use the Orbit as a hospitality centre as they wanted the public to be able to have access.

"To have taken this for the corporates would have been wrong," he said. "We did look at it as a hospitality venue but we believe this is a very special place and we wanted as many people as possible to be able to enjoy it.

Dalma Rushdi Malhas,a teenage Saudi equestrian

Dalma Rushdi Malhas, a teenage equestrian who won a bronze medal at the 2010 Youth Olympics, is a possibility to represent Saudi Arabia in London.

I am focusing on my own performance:Asafa Powell

Asafa Powell will race Justin Gatlin over 100m in the season's first Diamond League meeting in Qatar.

But Powell claims he is focusing on his own performance as he builds up to London 2012.

"It's not my last shot [at Olympic gold], but I'll be approaching it as if it's my last," said the Jamaican. I'm preparing myself for the bigger event."

Powell disappointed at the previous two Olympics, finishing fifth in the 100m at both Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.

American Gatlin broke the 100m world record in Doha in 2006, but it was removed from the record books and he was banned for four years after testing positive for testosterone.

Powell, 29, held the world record between June 2005 and May 2008 before it was broken by compatriot Usain Bolt.

"Bolt's always there - he's the man to beat," said Powell. "But in the back of my head out there, I'm trying to focus on myself.

"I'm focused on my own technique and finishing my race healthy."

Olympic ticket sale targets unsuccessful bidders

Around 900,000 tickets for the London Olympics, including men's 100m final tickets, have gone on sale with priority given to unsuccessful bidders.

As of 11:00 BST on Friday, some 20,000 people now have 31 hours' exclusive access to purchase up to four tickets for a single event.
A million other unsuccessful applicants can then buy tickets from 13-17 May.
Some 70,000 general tickets for the Olympic Park will also be made available to this group from 17 May.
And from 23 May, unsold Olympic tickets of all varieties will be released for sale to the general public.
Seb Coe, chairman of Games organisers Locog, said: "We know thousands of sports fans were disappointed when they missed out in the initial sales period because of the massive demand for tickets.
"We promised we would prioritise these fans when we released the contingency tickets, which is exactly what we are doing."
The online ticketing system came in for criticism after it crashed under high demand, leaving potential buyers frustrated at long delays.

In some cases, the system may have led buyers to believe they had been successful in their application, only to find out by email in June 2011 that they had failed.

The first priority group of 20,000 people are those who applied in the ballot and then the second chance sale but missed out in the latter, despite applying for apparently available tickets.
People in this group were contacted by Locog via email on Tuesday 8 May.
The 20,000 people contacted will now be able to select from any event, including the opening and closing ceremonies, although organisers warn only limited tickets are available.
But Olympic Park tickets will not be part of the sale window for this group.
Fans will be able to apply for up to four tickets for one event only. From Sunday 13 May, one million people who missed out in the first ballot will have five days to buy tickets. Different tickets will be available from 11:00 each day, as follows:

• 14 May - Athletics (Race Walk), Athletics (Marathon), Canoe Slalom, Canoe Sprint, Shooting, Swimming, Volleyball, Weightlifting and Cycling (Track)
• 15 May - Equestrian (Dressage), Equestrian (Eventing), Equestrian (Jumping), Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Handball, Table Tennis, Swimming (Marathon) and Water Polo
• 16 May - Basketball (North Greenwich Arena sessions), Badminton, Sailing, Gymnastics (Artistic), Gymnastics (Rhythmic), Gymnastics (Trampoline), Judo, Taekwondo, Boxing and Fencing
• 17 May - Archery, Basketball (Basketball Arena sessions), Cycling (BMX), Cycling (Mountain Bike), Cycling (Road), Modern Pentathlon, Rowing, Triathlon and Olympic Park ticketsTickets that are not sold each day will be carried forward for sale the next day. Once fans are successful they will be unable to buy any more tickets in the exclusive five-day period.
  Unsold tickets for the Paralympic Games are also set to go on sale from 11:00 BST on 21 May, with further details yet to be announced.
  And Locog has said it is releasing new tickets for sale from 29 May, to "help more people get to the Games". These tickets are:
  
• Cycling Road Race at Box Hill, Surrey
• Cycling Individual Time Trial at Hampton Court Palace
• There will also be tickets available for Wimbledon which will provide access to The Hill and the big screen only
• The Orbit - for those who already have access to the Olympic Park on the day they wish to visit the Orbit

Organisers have confirmed there will be a "babes in arms policy" during the Games, which means babies aged 12 months or under will be allowed into all London 2012 venues without a ticket - as long as they are securely strapped to a parent or carer.
But the policy will not apply to events held at Wembley Stadium, St James' Park, Old Trafford and North Greenwich Arena, where licensing rules require everyone to have a ticket.

Olympics2012

Olympics2012

Olympics2012