LONDON (AP) _ The overall cost of staging the 2012 London Olympics was set at more than nine billion pounds (C$20.5 billion) Thursday by the British government, three times the original estimate.

After months of media reports of soaring costs, Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell announced in parliament that the final budget was 9.325 billion pounds (C$21.1 billion).

The total includes 5.3 billion pounds (C$12.1 billion) for construction of venues and the main Olympic park; 2.7 billion pounds (C$6.1 billion) in contingency; 600 million pounds (C$1.36 billion) for security; and 725 million pounds (C$1.65 billion) in other costs.

The original overall estimate during London's bid was about three billion (C$6.8 billion), including both public and private funding.

Long-term redevelopment of a 202-hectare site in Stratford, east London, is at the heart of the Olympic project. The costs of construction, regeneration, security and contingency funds have led to the soaring bill.

Thursday's figures are separate from the Olympic organizing committee's budget of two billion pounds (C$4.5 billion) for the operational costs of running the Games.