Ticket Prices For Olympics Revealed
15 October 2010, 15:20 | Updated: 15 October 2010, 15:26
Details have been released on how you can pay for a seat at the London 2012 Olympics.
Tickets go on sale in March and with starting prices of between £20 and £725.
The most expensive on offer are £2,012 for certain tickets to the opening ceremony at the Olympic Stadium.
More than eight million tickets will be available.
London 2012 chief executive Paul Deighton said recently: "There will be entry-level prices for many of the events which everyone will be able to afford.
"There will be some other schemes too which people should find very attractive.
"There are also road events out on the streets of London which are free so there are all sorts of different offerings to suit all different capabilities to pay."
More than 1.4million people have already signed up to London 2012's ticket information site.
Tickets Q & As:
- What sport events can be watched at the London 2012 Olympics?
There are 26 Olympic sports at the Games but a total of 39 disciplines as some events, such as aquatics, consist of different disciplines. There will be 302 medal events, and up to 649 sessions of sport to watch.
- How many tickets are available?
The number of Olympic tickets has increased from 8 million to 8.8 million.
London 2012 organisers have found more capacity as they get deeper in to the detailed staging and planning of events. Factors such as where television cameras need to stand or the positioning of equipment or dancers for the opening and closing ceremonies could either free up or use more space.
Seating numbers could still change as staging details are being finalised.
- How much will a ticket cost?
It all depends on what competition you want to see and if it is a cheaper preliminary event or the final and whether it is a more popular sport. Each event will have a range of different ticket prices.
Tickets for the preliminary swimming competitions at the Olympic Park range from £20-£150 rising to £50-£450 for the finals.
- Roughly how much should you expect to pay for a ticket?
London 2012 states that 90% of the tickets will cost £100 or less, two-thirds of tickets will be £50 or less and 30% of tickets will be £20 or less.
There will also be 11 free ticket sessions which will include sports such as triathlon, the marathon, race walking, road cycling and sailing.
- What is a session?
A session could include a match or a race or several of them - again it all depends on the sport and the event which is being viewed and how long the athletes take to complete the competition.
Think of it like a ticket for a court at Wimbledon when, depending on factors like the weather and how long it takes to finish a match, you might be able to see one or several contests. In boxing, for example, this could mean seeing more than one bout.
- Are there any special offers?
Around 220 sessions and 1.3 million tickets available through special offers.
The first special offer is called Pay Your Age.
If you are 16 years old or younger at July 27 2012 you pay your age - so a 15 year-old will pay £15. If you are 60 or older by the same date you pay a flat £16.
Tickets up for grabs with this offer do not include any of the finals but it will cover every sport.
The price of a ticket for a wheelchair space includes a companion seat next to it.
- Are there any other special promotions?
A ticket share scheme, covering both the Olympics and Paralympics, is being used to encourage children to see the Games.
Around 50,000 tickets have gone to the London Mayor, another 50,000 to the Government and 25,000 to leading sports bodies such as the British Olympic Association, the British Paralympic Association, Sport England and other national sports councils.
The aim is for the Mayor's tickets to allow around one in eight children in London to go the Games without paying. The Government's tickets are to be spread in batches around secondary schools in the UK, allowing one teacher and five children to get to the Games. Schools are urged to be part of London 2012's educational programme.
- When do the tickets go on sale?
Tickets go on sale to the public in March.
- So how do I get information about buying tickets?
London 2012 are supplying more information about what to do.
Online registrations opened in March this year.
- Who else gets a ticket to London 2012?
London 2012 has 75% of tickets going on sale to the public. The rest are split between interested parties who back or take part in the Games.
This includes 13% to the National Olympic Committees, 10% to sponsors, 1% to sports federations and another 1% which are prestige tickets that have set aside for special package deals.