Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who came to the UK to (a) take part in and (b) spectate at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games have (i) remained in the UK illegally, (ii) applied for or been granted asylum and (iii) been granted another form of legitimate leave to remain.

The Home Office does not keep a running record of those who came to the UK to spectate at the Olympic Games. Close to 70,000 records of individuals who were accredited by LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games) have been investigated, however. These individuals were subject to immigration control. This would include athletes, coaches, sponsors, etc. but these records do not include those who came merely to watch the Games.

At the time of the investigations, 82 of those 70,000 individuals had claimed asylum (of which 52 have been granted) and 50 had not returned but were in possession of another form of legitimate leave.