The Olympic Village was handed over today for its fit-out of furnishings which will turn it into the home of the athletes who will compete at the London 2012 Games.

The handover marks the six-month countdown to the start of the Games.

Four-time Olympic rowing champion Sir Matthew Pinsent helped lift the first of more than 16,000 beds that will be installed in the village.

The site will house up to 16,000 athletes and team officials during the Olympic Games and 6,200 athletes and team officials, plus 1,000 referees and umpires during the Paralympic Games, all from 200 countries around the world.

Work started on the village, which included 2,818 new apartments, in June 2008.

Now work is starting on bringing in 64,000 bed sheets and 21,000 pillows, 9,000 wardrobes and more than 170,000 coat hangers.

Up to 11,000 sofas, 5,000 bins and 5,000 toilet brushes will be moved in along with television and wi-fi services.

There is also the temporary 24 hour, 5,000-seat main dining area plus cafe to get ready along with the Olympic Village Plaza.

This is set to be the main social hub complete with a cafe, general store, bank, beauty and grooming salon, internet lounge, London 2012 shop and entertainment centre.

There will also be a welcome centre, an initial arrival point where athletes and officials will be officially accredited for the Games.

London 2012 chief executive Paul Deighton claimed that the costs of the £9.3 billion Olympic project was in "very good shape" in the face of reports that the budget could spiral to £24 billion.

Sky News said a compilation of costs not included in the public sector funding package came to an extra £2.4 billion but when the counter-terrorism budget, intelligence and security costs, extra policing and transport upgrades were included, the total came to just over £24 billion.

Mr Deighton said: "They have added up the peripheral bits around the country and government to help the Games succeed.

"Other budgets are applied to the Games because they think it is a great way of spending money.

"I regard that as people exploiting the greatest opportunity to celebrate and invest in our future that this city is going to have in most of our lifetime. I regard that as a good thing."

VisitBritain chief executive Sandie Dawe said the Games would be "our chance to shine" for various sectors of British industry.

She said: "With only six months to go until the opening ceremony of London 2012, we are ramping up our public relations and marketing activity across the world.

"While the lighting of the cauldron to mark the beginning of the Olympic Games is a highly anticipated moment, we recognise it is also a time when four billion viewers around the globe will turn their attention to London - and Britain."