Games chiefs scramble to end empty seats fiasco

Olympic organisers scrambled to quell a backlash over images of half-empty stands at the London Olympics as a government minister said an urgent inquiry had been launched to identify who had failed to show up and why.

Sports fans from all over Britain who had been charmed by the Olympic publicity offensive but let down by a complex ballot system for the 8.8m tickets were outraged by footage of empty seats at key venues including Wimbledon, one of the hottest tickets in world tennis.

The chairman of organising committee Locog, Sebastian Coe, who threatened to name and shame sponsors that did not fill their seats, said missing spectators were mostly officials from international sports federations, other Olympic officials and their families and friends.