More than 20million requests were made from 1.8million people for tickets to the London 2012 Olympic Games, organisers have revealed.
They were forced to extend the six-week application process by an hour to 1am yesterday after their website crashed under the weight of demand for the 6.6million tickets.
The showpiece opening ceremony, priced between £20.12 to £2012, was more than ten times oversubscribed.
Many sports fans hoping to see Sir Chris Hoy or Usain Bolt retain their gold medals face disappointment as the men’s track cycling and 100m final were also filled.
Also among the first to sell-out were the closing ceremony, rhythmic gymnastics, the triathlon, modern pentathlon and the cross-country equestrian events.
This is despite ticket prices of between £20 to £725 for most events.
Almost half of the 650 sessions did not sell out, meaning many could still get to see some Olympic action.
About 95 per cent of applications were made from Britain, to the delight of Lord Coe, the chairman of London 2012.
‘We are thrilled with the response right across the board, in all sports and all sessions,’ he said.
‘What is most encouraging is the majority of applications are for multiple tickets and for several sports, which shows friends and family are planning to go to the games together.’
Any remaining tickets could go on sale in June and July, while money will start to be taken from successful buyers’ bank accounts from May 10.
Organisers have promised unwanted tickets will be able to be sold through an official trading scheme that will open next year.
London 2012 hopes to raise £500million from tickets to help fund the £9.3billion budget for the Games.
The showpiece opening ceremony, priced between £20.12 to £2012, was more than ten times oversubscribed.
Many sports fans hoping to see Sir Chris Hoy or Usain Bolt retain their gold medals face disappointment as the men’s track cycling and 100m final were also filled.
Also among the first to sell-out were the closing ceremony, rhythmic gymnastics, the triathlon, modern pentathlon and the cross-country equestrian events.
This is despite ticket prices of between £20 to £725 for most events.
Almost half of the 650 sessions did not sell out, meaning many could still get to see some Olympic action.
About 95 per cent of applications were made from Britain, to the delight of Lord Coe, the chairman of London 2012.
‘We are thrilled with the response right across the board, in all sports and all sessions,’ he said.
‘What is most encouraging is the majority of applications are for multiple tickets and for several sports, which shows friends and family are planning to go to the games together.’
Any remaining tickets could go on sale in June and July, while money will start to be taken from successful buyers’ bank accounts from May 10.
Organisers have promised unwanted tickets will be able to be sold through an official trading scheme that will open next year.
London 2012 hopes to raise £500million from tickets to help fund the £9.3billion budget for the Games.
See my olympic post here: http://emsdarkroom.blogspot.co.uk/
ReplyDelete