Schedule For London 2012 Olympics Released

Orla Chennaoui, Olympics correspondent

The pulling power of Usain Bolt and Sir Chris Hoy look like making August 5 and 6 the most popular days at the London 2012 Olympics for ticket-hunters.

The official events schedule for the Games, unveiled today, show that both Olympic champions will be aiming to retain their titles on an evening of sprint showdowns.

The organisers have released their schedule a month before the tickets go on sale, to allow fans time to decide which events they would like to apply for.

Among the most popular days are likely to be the July 29 and August 3, when Rebecca Adlington will defend her Olympic golds.

Jessica Ennis will be hoping to add to her European and World heptathlon titles by ending the August 4 on top of the Olympic podium.

Diver Tom Daley will be aiming to round up the Games in style, competing in his second event, the 10m platform, on August 11, the penultimate day of competition.

As well as promising a potentially glittering end to the London Games for the home crowd, the schedule offers the possibility of an early celebration.

The first chance at gold will come in the cycling road race on July 27, when the 'Manx Missile' Mark Cavendish will be favourite to win his first Olympic gold.

Defending champion Nicole Cooke will be hoping to retain her title the following day - which would make for a dream start to the games for Team GB.

Tickets for the Olympic games will go on sale on March 15. Fans will have until April 26 to apply for their share of the 6.6 million being made available to the public.

Tickets for the Paralympic Games go on sale on September 9. Sky News