Horse Illustrated Magazine

With 501 days to go until the opening ceremonies, athletes are working toward qualifying for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Soon, hopeful spectators will begin the process of purchasing tickets for their favorite events.

Tickets for the Olympics can only be purchased from authorized sellers. For the United States, all purchases will go through www.cosport.com. To find authorized ticket sellers for other countries, visit www.london2012.com

Beginning March 15, fans will be able to request individual event tickets. The Ticket Request Phase ends on April 22, 2011. You will be able to request tickets based on price range, but no actual seating charts are available. All of the equestrian events will take place in London’s Greenwich Park, approximately six miles from the main Olympic venue.

After the Request Phase has closed, the sellers will confirm inventory. If demand for tickets exceeds supply, they will be awarded at random through an automated process. Applying for tickets during the Request Phase does not guarantee that you will get tickets, but you will be required to purchase any tickets you reserved if they are allocated to you.

Ticket prices will be made available on March 15.

A second sale will take place in June of 2011 for any tickets that remain unsold after the first round of sales.

The equestrian events begin on the first day of Olympic competition with three-day eventing dressage and conclude shortly before the end with show jumping finishing up on August 9. For a full schedule, see the chart below.

Television coverage for the Olympics in the United States will again be provided by NBC through its network broadcast, several cable affiliates and online. HorseChannel.com will provide more detailed information when it becomes available.