The event, to be held between May 4 and 7 next year, is part of a comprehensive event and venue testing programme in the run up to the Games, announced today.

The list is made up of more than 40 test events that will be staged at Olympic venues over the next 18 months to prepare for the Games.

The schedule includes a mix of world-level competitions and low-key invitational events.

"You do not want to face any conditions at competition time that you have not prepared for," said Sebastian Coe, the chairman of London 2012.

"Every aspect of our delivery needs to be the best it can be.

"We can 'road test' all our operational plans and make sure we have all the knowledge we need to deliver a truly memorable games in 2012."

Denis Oswald, the chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission for London 2012, claimed that he believed the schedule would give officials the chance to make sure they smoothed out any difficulties and potential problems. 

"Athletes know that the quality of their training will impact the quality of their performance as they strive to achieve their full potential," he said.

"It is no different with the Games organisers and we can see that LOCOG is making sure that its pre-Games preparations will give it plenty of opportunity to refine its plans and produce a winning performance come July 2012."

BUCS and London 2012 have been working together over the last 12 months to organise the event, which is normally held at Bedford but will now take place in the £537 million ($836 million) 80,000-capacity Stadium.

"BUCS is very proud to be announced as the test event for the athletics competition at the London 2012 Olympics," said Karen Rothery, the chief executive of BUCS.

"The athletics programme at BUCS is truly excellent.

"The outdoor event is growing in size and is also highly competitive, the perfect competition to test operations in advance of the Games.

"This is credit to the BUCS Sports Team and an amazing team of volunteers that deliver and will continue to deliver excellent events well after the Olympic Games has finished."

Up to 1,200 athletes are expected to compete in the event.

Debbie Jevans, the London 2012 Director of Sport, revealed that it was still be worked out how many spectators will be allowed inside the Stadium to watch the event.

"It will not be 80,000 but it will be a sizeable figure because we are aware that there is going to be a lot of interest in visiting the new Stadium," she told insidethegames.

The first official test event this year will be a 10 kilometres road race that will take place on the loop planned for the Olympic marathon on May 30 and will be held alongside the UK Athletics 20km Race Walking Championships.

The walks course are due to use the same loop as the marathon.


Other highlights include the Greenwich Park Eventing Invitational, which will be held at Greenwich Park, which has been at the centre of a bitter dispute between some local residents and London 2012.

The event, a two-star competition, is due to be held between July 4 and 6 and will feature 50 riders. 

"The choice of Greenwich Park has been supported by huge amount of people both locally and nationally," said Jevans.

"The test event won't be as big as the Games itself but will absolutely be a test.

"It's an opportunity for locals to see what will happen and how positive the Olympic Games will be."

Jevans ensured local residents that the Park will not be closed down during preparations for the event.

"We will begin work next month and do it in sections," she said.

"We will work to ensure that the Park is accessible."

Other highlights include a FIVB beach volleyball tournament at Horse Guards Parade in central London from August 9-14 and the first test event held in the Olympic Park, a men's invitational basketball tournament August 16-21 featuring teams from China, Serbia, France and Britain.

Details of both events had previously been revealed exclusively on insidethegames.

Lord's Cricket Ground will host an archery competition on October 3-10, with the qualifying competition set to be staged at the Nursery Ground before the main competition is held in the main arena.

Other events in 2011 include a UIPM Modern Pentathlon World Cup final at Greenwich Park and Crystal Palace from July 9-10; an international sailing regatta in Weymouth and Portland from July 31-August 13; an ITU World Championship series triathlon competition in Hyde Park from Aug. 6-7; and a BMX Supercross World Cup event in the Olympic Park from August 19-20.

Many of the events will be available to spectators with others restricted to technology and field of play testing.

Some tickets will be sold by London 2012 and some will be sold by other event organisers.

The full schedule of events can be seen by clicking here.

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