Rita Ora sprints ahead of Olympic chart hopefuls in race to Number 1

With 78 Olympic Games-related tracks set to feature in Sunday’s Official Singles Chart Top 200, it’s Rita Ora who is leading the race to Number 1 in today’s Official Singles Chart Update.

After scoring one of 2012’s fastest selling singles with DJ Fresh’s Hot Right Now back in February, then returning to the top of the Official Singles Chart in May with R.I.P. FT Tinie Tempah, Rita Ora is currently on course for her third Number 1 single with How We Do (Party).

The 21-year-old singer, who was signed by Jay-Z to his Roc Nation record label, is rapidly becoming the breakthrough artist of the year. And, if she can maintain her lead until Sunday’s final whistle, Rita will become the first artist to bag three Official Number 1 Awards - the new award created by the Official Charts Company and Radio 1 to recognise each new artist who achieves Number 1 status.

Reigning chart-topper, Wiley, slips down one place to Number 2 with Heatwave, while Emeli Sande’s Read All About It Pt. 3, which was performed at the Olympic Games’ closing ceremony, is at Number 3. Elbow’s One Day Like This and Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill – which were also featured during Sunday’s closing ceremony – look set to chart at Number 4 and 5, respectively.

Olympics tracks set to dominate Sunday’s Official Singles Chart

78 tracks - 41 of which featured in the London 2012 Olympic Games’ closing ceremony, along with 12 from in the opening ceremony, plus a further 25 by artists who performed or were played at either event - look set to enter the Official Singles Chart Top 200 on Sunday.

Of the artists who were featured, Emeli Sande has seen the biggest sales uplift with six tracks in the Top 200: Read All About It Pt 3 (currently at Number 3), Next To Me (43), My Kind Of Love (57), Professor Green’s Read All About It (70), Abide With Me (101) and Heaven (111). Her debut album, Our Version Of Events, currently looks set to return to Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart, too.

Ed Sheeran has five tracks in the Top 200 (including his cover of Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here with Nick Mason, Genesis’ Mike Rutherford and The Feeling's Richard Jones which is currently at Number 38), while Queen have four tracks in the Top 200, and Jessie J has three.

This week’s highest climbers are also Olympics-related, with Oasis’ Wonderwall (which was performed by Liam Gallagher’s post-Oasis band, Beady Eye, at Sunday’s closing ceremony) is up 168 places to Number 28, while Elbow’s One Day Like This is up 121 places to Number 4. Jessie J’s Price Tag climbs 93 to 78, and One Direction’s What Makes You Beautiful is up 79 places to Number 25.

This Week’s New Entries

In addition to Rita Ora’s How We Do (Party) (Number 1) and Ed Sheeran’s Wish You Were Here (38) there are five other new entries in today’s Official Singles Chart Update.

George Michael’s White Light, which had its first live outing at Sunday’s closing ceremony, looks set to debut at Number 8, while US DJ and producer Porter Robinson is on course for his debut UK Top 10 hit with Language. Trey Songs looks set to score his highest charting single to date with Simply Amazing, which is currently at Number 10.

Aiden Grimshaw’s Curtain Call is new in at Number 37, and The Who’s 1972 track Baba O’Riley, also performed at Sunday’s closing ceremony, could enter the Official Singles Chart for the first time ever on Sunday. It’s currently sitting at Number 40.

The Official Singles Chart Update Top 40 is as follows:

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