LONDON – Ticket prices for the London 2012 Olympics will range from £2 012 (BDS$6 334) for the opening ceremony to less than £20 (BDS$63) in a strategy designed to fill all the venues, organisers said yesterday.
The 8.8 million public tickets for the 26 Olympic sports will go on general sale in Britain in March with 2.5 million of them set to cost £20 or less and two thirds with a face value of less than £50s.
Revealing the pricing system at a sports college in east London, organising committee (LOCOG) chairman Sebastian Coe described it as the “daddy of all ticket strategies”.
“This is London and we are never afraid to challenge ourselves,” Coe told Reuters.
“I’ve always said it would not be acceptable in [Britain} if we had empty seats in stadiums and for me that would be a failure.
“Our pricing system is affordable and accessible because we want the venues full to the rafters with people who want to be at the greatest show on earth.”
Outlining the various initiatives on offer, LOCOG chief executive Paul Deighton said the ticketing strategy had been a juggling act.
While the top end tickets would be expensive, only ten per cent of them would be priced at more than £100 and two thirds of them would be £50 (BDS$ or less, he said.
“The highest priced tickets for the 100-metre final will be £750 (BDS$2 361), with the cheapest at £50,” he said.
“But you will be able to watch the likes of Usain Bolt in the heats for £20. A family of four could attend the Games for £60.”
Children will benefit from a “Pay Your Age” scheme meaning a ten-year-old would be able to buy a £10 ticket for any of the sports during the two-week event.
All tickets would also come with a free London travelcard, Deighton said.
“If you do a great job in putting the tickets in the hands of those who most want to be there, they will stay for every second of the session,” he told reporters.
In another initiative, Deighton said one in eight London schoolchildren would be able to attend the Games for free through the “Get Set” link-up with the capital’s schools. (Reuters)
