By Tom Degun

Rebecca Adlington_at_end_of_race_in_New_Delhi_October_2010February 27 - Britain's double Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington is set to appear at the British Swimming Championships at the Aquatics Centre on the Olympic Park next month in a competition that will also serve as the Olympic swimming test event.

The 22-year-old freestyle swimmer from Nottinghamshire, who also won gold and silver at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, will be joined by the likes of reigning 50m backstroke world champion Liam Tancock, double Paralympic champion Ellie Simmonds and hundreds of other swimmers for the event which will take place from March 3 to 10.

The 30,000 tickets put on sale for the event have completely sold out but British Swimming said they have declined the option of putting more tickets on sale for the event due to the limited amount of time they would have to market and sell them.

"British Swimming planned for and delivered the competition based on the provision of 2,500 seats per session offered by London 2012 in July 2011," said a British Swimming statement.

"London 2012 made an additional 968 seats per session available for [the] FINA World Cup Diving event this month and also offered British Swimming the option of adding these seats to the British Championships capacity.

"British Swimming made the decision not to offer these tickets for sale based on the limited time available to market and sell the seats while resources were focused on the final stages of delivering of a world class event.

London 2012_Aquatics_Centre_with_lanes
"The seating capacity of the venue for the British Swimming Championships exceeds any other venue previously used for a national championships in recent years and will provide a unique theatre as Britain's swimmers strive to achieve qualifying times for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"The original capacity offered by London 2012 was based on the London Aquatics Centre achieving optimum temperatures for athletes on the field of play during the Olympic and Paralympic Games through natural ventilation of the seating stands.

"Due to the lower outside temperature in March, a temporary environmental curtain has been installed to seal off part of the temporary section of the seating stands to retain heat within the building.

"This reduces the seating from a games time capacity of 17,500 but ensures the athletes will experience the best possible conditions in which to perform."

Britain's top swimmers will be using the competition to achieve qualifying times for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games but, should they miss put at the Aquatics Centre, they will get another chance to achieve a qualifying time at the ASA National Championships at Ponds Forge in Sheffield in June.

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