Free Olympic events and last-minute tickets

With the Olympics underway, here's everything you need to know about getting last-minute tickets and how you can watch for free.

The Olympic Games have started and for those of you desperate to be there in person see the action, there are still ways to do so.

Despite all the fuss when tickets initially went on sale, some cheaper tickets remain unsold, mostly for the football tournament.

It's worth checking the official website regularly as tickets are still being released for sale or resale. Following the controversy over empty seats at many venues, batches of returned tickets for the following day's action are being released intermittently.

The kind folks at Prominent Media have created this nifty 2012 Ticket List, which is not always 100% accurate, as tickets go on sale and sell out in a matter of minutes. But it saves you searching through all the events yourself and links directly through to the relevant event's ticket page. If you're really keen, keep it open and refresh it periodically.

If you don't want to pay to see the Olympics, there are still several free events you can go along to.

Marathon

The Olympic marathons takes place on the 5th August for women and 12th August for men and and it’s another event where spectators can watch the athletes for free at viewing spots along the race track. As with other events, it starts and ends at The Mall and the route goes along the river and does a loop around St Paul's, Bank, Aldgate and Tower Hill. 

Triathlon

This event will take place in Hyde Park, on the 4th August for women and the 7th August for men, starting and ending at the Serpentine. The major viewing spots, such as Buckingham Palace where the bike route will pass, are ticketed, but it’s possible to watch the events for free in Hyde Park.

Race Walk

The race walk, which is a bit like power walking around a route, is another free event – unless you’re in the prime start and finish location of The Mall. The men’s event takes place on the 5th August and the women’s on the 11th August and it's free to watch if you're in the area of the track outside The Mall (as shown on the map).

Be prepared

If you want to watch some of these outdoor events, make sure you arrive early and come prepared.

Given the recent weather we've had, check the forecast before you travel. The travel situation is expected to be chaotic so check your journey before you set off on the Transport for London website and leave a lot of extra time to get to your destination.

Refreshments will be expensive so my advice is to make your own food to avoid overspending on the day. Information on security and what items you can take into the events can be found on the main website.

If you can't get to London

The BBC has set up big screens across the country to let people watch the games. It's free and screens can be found in locations such as Festival Square in Edinburgh, Exchange Gate in Manchester, Humberstone Gate in Leicester and Armada Way in Plymouth. A full list of venues can be found on the Big Screen website.

This article has been updated

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