Olympic Times - Sports Daily

Tickets for the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver and Whistler went on sale Friday.

The first batch of tickets aren’t being sold on a first come, first serve basis. Instead, ticket applications will be accepted online until November 7.

Potential ticket-buyers can set up an account on Vancouver2010.com. Paper applications will also be accepted, but Olympic organizers say decisions about who gets to buy which tickets won’t be made until after the deadline.

“A request submitted on October 3 will be considered the same as a request submitted November 7,” according to the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) website.

Olympic officials are hoping the application process will cut down on ticket scalping.

“The whole system has been built around fairness and accessibility,” Caley Denton, VANOC vice-president of ticketing and consumer marketing, told CTV’s Canada AM from Vancouver on Friday.

However, there’s little VANOC will be able to do about a secondary ticket market. Unofficial ticket brokers have told CTV British Columbia they’re planning on buying and selling Olympic tickets. One broker recommended that consumers make sure they deal with a reputable agency to avoid potential problems.

Denton noted that demand will be high for tickets in traditionally popular Canadian sports, but said most visitors to the Games will go for the overall experience.

“Canadians are really embracing the idea of having that Olympic experience, of course by going to hockey and figure skating … but also seeing sports they don’t see every day.”

If demand exceeds tickets for a particular event, Olympic organizers say they’ll hold a lottery for available seats.

The VANOC website states that:

* About 1.6 million tickets will be up for sale.
* More than 100,000 tickets will be available for $25.
* Half of all Games tickets are priced at $100 or less
* Generally, 70 per cent of the 2010 tickets will be reserved for the public and 30 per cent for the “Olympic family.”
* It is expecting to make about $230 million from ticket sales.

Olympic organizers say they’ll let hopeful fans know if their applications are successful in late November or early December.

The 2010 Winter Games will take place in Vancouver and Whistler, from Feb. 12 to Feb. 28. The Paralympic Games will follow from March 12 to 21.

source: ctv.ca