Twice as many corporate guests at 2012 as athletes

Corporate guests will outnumber athletes by more than two to one at the London Olympics, official figures reveal.

Games chiefs reckon the number of sponsors, their guests and competition winners at the 2012 event will be 31,400.

Referred to as "marketing partners", they will outnumber the 14,500 Olympic athletes during the two-week event.

The figures have been revealed in an Olympic Delivery Authority document which forecast 2012 transport requirements. Massed ranks of corporate visitors will include multinational corporations such as Coca Cola, McDonald's and Samsung - so-called TOP sponsors with global Olympic sponsorship deals - who will each be given thousands of tickets to Games events.

It is thought the 12 top sponsors will each be entitled to up to 100 tickets per sports event, although 2012 ticketing arrangements have not been finalised.