London's new Olympic Stadium will be opened officially by one lucky winner from a 40,000-strong audience at a special ticketed event on May 5, organisers said on Tuesday.

LOCOG said in a statement that tickets for the "2012 Hours to go: An evening of athletics and entertainment" event would go on sale on Thursday, priced at 10 and 20 pounds.

One individual from the audience would be "brought into the middle of the Stadium to officially open the venue."

The ceremony will follow the last hour of the British Universities and Colleges Sport championships, the first test event at the 500-million-pound stadium in east London.
"This is a great opportunity for people to experience the venue that will take centre stage this summer," said LOCOG chairman Sebastian Coe.

"As well as a great evening of entertainment, this will be an invaluable test and another warm-up event for the Olympic Stadium."

The Games start with the opening ceremony at the stadium on July 27.  Demand for tickets for the Olympics has outstripped supply in most events, leaving many Britons frustrated at not being able to get a seat.

Organisers have also been criticised for a lack of transparency amid concern that many of the best tickets have been reserved for sponsors.