London organizing committee set to break even on Olympic operating budget
LONDON - London Olympic organizers say they remain on course to break even on their operating budget.
Local organizing committee LOCOG, forecasts total revenue and expenditure will both be 2.4 billion pounds ($3.8 billion). The privately-financed LOCOG budget, which covers the running of the games, is met through sponsorships, ticket sales, television rights fees and merchandising.
It is separate from the government's public-sector budget of more than 9 billion pounds ($14.2 billion), covering venue construction, security and other infrastructure costs.
LOCOG's financial report covering the 18 months up to Sept. 30 shows a loss of 53 million pounds ($83.5 million) but also shows 78 million pounds ($123 million) of revenue in the bank that will only show up in the final books later this year.
Organizing chief Sebastian Coe says "despite some monumental challenges, not least the weather leading up to the games, we did all this whilst continuing to bear down on costs and raise our remaining revenue."
