Ticket sales company Ticketmaster has been appointed as the official ticketing services provider for the London Olympic Games in 2012.

The appointment confirms Ticketmaster as a Tier Three sponsor of London 2012, a bracket that will see the company pay the local organising committee, LOCOG, US$5 million a year. 

Tickets for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games will go on sale in 2011. Between now and then, Ticketmaster will work with LOCOG on its ongoing ticketing strategy and planning before assisting in the set-up and running of the ticket sales process.

"We’re thrilled to be welcoming Ticketmaster onboard .This is a crucial appointment, following a rigorous tendering process," said LOCOG's commercial director, Chris Townsend.

"When tickets go on sale in 2011, we’ll need a reliable solution and a team of world-class ticketing experts in place, ensuring we manage demand and deliver a first-class customer service."

Ticketmaster has previously delivered ticketing systems for major sporting events such as the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Rugby World Cups and the World Twenty20 cricket tournament.

Chris Edmonds, managing director of Ticketmaster UK, said: "Ticketmaster UK is immensely proud to have been selected as the official ticketing partner for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

"We will work closely with LOCOG to provide a ticketing solution engineered to match the needs of the greatest sporting event in the world."

Ticketmaster has now added its name to a list of Tier Three sponsors for the Games that includes Airwave, Atkins, Boston Consulting Group, Crystal CG, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, Holiday Inn, McCann Worldgroup, The Nielsen Company, Populous, and Trident.

The six domestic Tier One partners, each paying US$65 million, are Adidas, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF and Lloyds TSB.