Anyone been to the Olympics as a spectator?

G-Money

I'm half considering attending the London 2012 Olympics and to be honest, I would mostly be interested in just the athletics competitions, specifically track track events and possibly the marathon.

I'm just wondering how the ticketing works? I've been checking up on things and tickets don't go on sale until Spring next year so there's no immediate rush. However I'm guessing it's a bit of a lottery trying to get tickets? Can you specify what events you want tickets for? What happens if you get the tickets? Are you in the arena for the day or what?

I suppose in an ideal world you could get tickets for all heats, events and the final of the competition you are interested in but I'm guessing that's somewhat unrealistic?

Pisco Sour

grandmaster wrote: »

I'm half considering attending the London 2012 Olympics and to be honest, I would mostly be interested in just the athletics competitions, specifically track track events and possibly the marathon.

I'm just wondering how the ticketing works? I've been checking up on things and tickets don't go on sale until Spring next year so there's no immediate rush. However I'm guessing it's a bit of a lottery trying to get tickets? Can you specify what events you want tickets for? What happens if you get the tickets? Are you in the arena for the day or what?

I suppose in an ideal world you could get tickets for all heats, events and the final of the competition you are interested in but I'm guessing that's somewhat unrealistic?

I fully intend to go to London in 2012. Mainly the athletics I want to see but also the Boxing and Swimming, and maybe a few others like Gymnastics and Track Cycling.

Demand will be high so it will be a lottery and the chances of getting tickets to every day of the Athletics are slim.

Im not entirely sure of the process yet. I registered with them but really not sure what I get out of it. It seems like just a marketing ploy and there is no advantage in terms of getting tickets from signing up.

I guess for now just register. Its all you can do right now until more information becomes available. When registering it asks you to píck the sports you would be interested in attending. I think I listed about 7-8 of them.

Also I wouldnt worry about the heats. Never once have I seen the heats of a major championships bein a sell out.

The marathon would be free by the way so no worries there.

ecoli

grandmaster wrote: »

I'm half considering attending the London 2012 Olympics and to be honest, I would mostly be interested in just the athletics competitions, specifically track track events and possibly the marathon.

I'm just wondering how the ticketing works? I've been checking up on things and tickets don't go on sale until Spring next year so there's no immediate rush. However I'm guessing it's a bit of a lottery trying to get tickets? Can you specify what events you want tickets for? What happens if you get the tickets? Are you in the arena for the day or what?

I suppose in an ideal world you could get tickets for all heats, events and the final of the competition you are interested in but I'm guessing that's somewhat unrealistic?

By day/ 3day/ week etc tickets with the price varying on where in the stadium you sit. In Barcelona the most expensive were by the Finish line due to the autograph potential which is fairly usual

Pisco Sour

ecoli wrote: »

By day/ 3day/ week etc tickets with the price varying on where in the stadium you sit. In Barcelona the most expensive were by the Finish line due to the autograph potential which is fairly usual

The europeans and the Olympics are a different kettle of fish. I really cant see the Olympics letting people buy up tickets for all days at once when demand is so high.

Funny you mention the autograph potential. In Barcelona we were in a cheaper section of the stadium and you could walk all around that section (most of the lower tier, excluding the home straight) and get as far as the start line. When athletes did their victory lap it was the only part of the stadium where they could interact fully with the fans, hence our pic with Derval. So for half the price we got what the people in the most of expensive seats didnt get.

Brianderunner

^ amen to that, that won't happen again as i said in barca

I'll be going to London for sure, i was in Athens in 2004, paris 2003 and barcelona this year. The morning sessions are normally part of your evening ticket for the same day. Im gonna get a few people to apply for ther lottery on my behalf just to make sure i get them. The marathon is not always free, 10 euro to get in to the finish in Athens in the panathanaiko stadium, free out on the open road of course.

robinph

04072511 wrote: »

The marathon would be free by the way so no worries there.

Would it be free into the stadium for the finish as well as along the course?

The stadium is often half empty during the day for heats and such or when the multi event ones are on in previous Olympics so should be a way of getting people in then to fill the stadium.

Brianderunner

robinph wrote: »

Would it be free into the stadium for the finish as well as along the course?

The stadium is often half empty during the day for heats and such or when the multi event ones are on in previous Olympics so should be a way of getting people in then to fill the stadium.

They usually combine the marathon finish with a morning session. They may move the marathon finish line in London 2012 from the stadium to the Mall where the London Marathon usually finishes.

robinph

Ahh, yeah. I seem to remember some talk about trying to include parts of the London route in it, and possibly the finish from the first marathon distance marathon as well. Although I think that line is now in the middle of an office block or something so maybe use it for the start line instead.

Pisco Sour

Brianderunner wrote: »

Im gonna get a few people to apply for ther lottery on my behalf just to make sure i get them.

Good idea actually. Think I will do the same.

Thank God the games are in London. Plenty of potential for free accomadation

robinph

I think they will be sticking up big screens in city centres etc for watching events, not quite the same and not sure if watching Bolt stroll a 100m would be quite the same atmosphere as watching a football match on a big screen.

Racman

Brianderunner wrote: »

Im gonna get a few people to apply for ther lottery on my behalf just to make sure i get them.

04072511 wrote: »

Good idea actually. Think I will do the same.

Possible problem with this: Will they allocate tickets to the named applicant only? Will security concerns prevent transfers, black market etc? Might be worth checking before laying out any money.

I was at Moscow 1980, the one that the USA and a few others boycotted. When we booked our tour, we were allocated tickets for preliminary three day eventing, men's judo and high jump qualifiers. When we got there, after the boycott, we were able to buy tickets for the main track finals - 1500m (Coe), 5000m (Yifter) etc - for less than face value. Also saw the soccer final for £1.50. All a bit unlikely for London alas.

Roro4Brit

Never been, but will certainly be at London 2012. I have an obsession with Gymnastics, been to the Worlds in Germany before but can't wait for 2012.

RedB

I hit Athens bigtime in 2004. I got tickets to the Opening Ceremony in the Lottery by putting my name in a year before. Amazing spectacle. We saw some of the cycling the following day out on the streets but only stayed for the weekend because the accomodation was expensive and very limited.
I came back the following weekend with tickets to several of the Athletics sessions that I had bought a few months in advance but we were also able to pick up tickets for Beach Vollyball (one of the highest ranked memories of my life ), Basketball and Boxing (Andy Lee's fight also ranks up there for the Irish Fans extremely enthuasiastic support and the Greek security forces response . The Irish Boxing Officials had to intervine to explain that it was only craic - not a riot).
The tickets were all sold per session with usually 3 sessions per day. Morning, afternoon and evening. They varied from €20-€90 if I recall with top prices for the premium evening events like the 100m final, etc. You could move around the stadiums very easily but they might be more segregated in London.
There were plenty of tickets available both officially and unofficially and even some below face value as there wasn't huge crowds in Athens due to post 9/11 fears and limited accomodation. The stadia were rarely filled.

Sklarker

Was in Sydney in 2000. It was hard to get tickets for T&F finals but easy enough to get qualifying rounds. Got to see Michael Johnson in the 400m semifinals, would've loved to see the final.

G-Money

I've already registered for the tickets so lets see what happens.

TheRoadRunner

grandmaster wrote: »

I've already registered for the tickets so lets see what happens.

linky please

G-Money

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

linky please

http://www.tickets.london2012.com/?camefrom=CFC_UK_LONDON2012_L2012_SIGNUPSPLASH

ronanmac

I'm planning the 2012 holidays around the Olympics. I just hope my sister in law doesn't move home meanwhile or it'll be a few weeks of expensive accommodation for myself, my wife and the boys!

G-Money

Just resurrecting this thread of mine.

I noticed that they are charging for tickets to the Marathon but they have changed the finish to be in the Mall in London as opposed to the Olympic stadium.

How could they charge money for tickets for something that is run on public streets? Sounds like it would be hard to enforce...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11799260

http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2010/10/london-2012-olympic-and-paralympic-marathons-to-start-an.php

woodchopper

I was over in China but not in the stands,. I was helping out Dr Rosa with Martin Lels drinks at the water stations.

Brianderunner

grandmaster wrote: »

Just resurrecting this thread of mine.

I noticed that they are charging for tickets to the Marathon but they have changed the finish to be in the Mall in London as opposed to the Olympic stadium.

How could they charge money for tickets for something that is run on public streets? Sounds like it would be hard to enforce...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11799260

http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2010/10/london-2012-olympic-and-paralympic-marathons-to-start-an.php

They'll probably put up a temporary stand (like the 18th green at a golf tournament) beside the finish and thats what they'll be charging for. In athens they were charging €10 for the finish at the ancient olympic stadium but nowhere else, how could they?

Dodge

They're also charging for the finish line of the cycling road race so I'd assume they'll have similar set up.

Registered back in September but tbh I'm not sure I could spend that much on them (without a guarenteed Irish interest).

itsalltrue

i registered last year. looking forward to getting tickets and going. Would be great to see Olympics events live

finbarrk

I was in Beijing for a couple of the days of the athletics. I only had cat 3 tickets but I sneaked into cat 1 to get a close up of Bolt in the 100m. That won't be as easy in London.

G-Money

I'm not too bothered about the Irish interest at the Marathon, I'd be more interested in seeing Haile.

Dodge

grandmaster wrote: »

I'm not too bothered about the Irish interest at the Marathon, I'd be more interested in seeing Haile.

Sorry, I was tlaking about general admission tickets rather than the marathon. The spectacle alone would be enough for me to watch the marathon

G-Money

According to the website and emails that have went out, they will announce the exact date that the ticket purchasing/registration thing opens this month, with the actual date being in March. I reckon it will come around fast enough so I was thinking it would be good to get sorted out with what events you want tickets for and stuff.

G-Money

March 15th to April 26th is when you can register to buy tickets, they just announced it tonight.

Pisco Sour

I still cant get over the prices of the Olympic tickets.

For anybody who hasn't seen the prices here is a reminder:

http://media.ticketmaster.com/og/en-gb/img/sys/tournament/london2012/olyticketprice.pdf

For athletics:

PRELIMINARY: £150 £95 £65 £40 £20
FINALS: £450 £295 £150 £95 £50
SUPER FINAL: £725 £420 £295 £125 £50

Who in their right mind would pay 150 pounds for a morning session?

Do the finals tickets include that days morning session?

WTF is the "Super Final"? Is it any day that Usain Bolt is expected to run a final? Is it the final night of the games? Or is it a sort of Magic Monday type day that they had in Sydney 2000 with 9 finals on the one night?

What sports are people going to apply for?

For athletics I am going to put my name down for every night but only for the 95 and 50 pound tickets. I wonder if you manage to get tickets to every night that you applied for are you obliged to take them all or can you turn some of them down?

Outside of athletics I'm not sure if I will bother with the rest. Its much too expensive when I can watch it on TV for free and probably get a better view of the action.

At least I know plenty of people in London so free accomodation anyway.

G-Money

04072511 wrote: »

I still cant get over the prices of the Olympic tickets.

For anybody who hasn't seen the prices here is a reminder:

http://media.ticketmaster.com/og/en-gb/img/sys/tournament/london2012/olyticketprice.pdf

For athletics:

PRELIMINARY: £150 £95 £65 £40 £20
FINALS: £450 £295 £150 £95 £50
SUPER FINAL: £725 £420 £295 £125 £50

Who in their right mind would pay 150 pounds for a morning session?

Do the finals tickets include that days morning session?

WTF is the "Super Final"? Is it any day that Usain Bolt is expected to run a final? Is it the final night of the games? Or is it a sort of Magic Monday type day that they had in Sydney 2000 with 9 finals on the one night?

What sports are people going to apply for?

For athletics I am going to put my name down for every night but only for the 95 and 50 pound tickets. I wonder if you manage to get tickets to every night that you applied for are you obliged to take them all or can you turn some of them down?

Outside of athletics I'm not sure if I will bother with the rest. Its much too expensive when I can watch it on TV for free and probably get a better view of the action.

At least I know plenty of people in London so free accomodation anyway.

They definitely need to explain what these types of tickets cover. I've had a look at the information they sent out and on the website and I can't see any explanation as to what a super-final is or what tickets cover which events on which days.

If I was going, I'd want tickets to the athletics track events, not too bothered about the field events. The guy on BBC news last night said it was free to watch the marathon.

Pisco Sour

grandmaster wrote: »

If I was going, I'd want tickets to the athletics track events, not too bothered about the field events.

Its kind of a "buy one, get the other free" sort of deal, hence the name of the sport being "Track and Field"

Pyongyang

I registered months ago, actually just got ticket date sales info in an email from the ticket agency yesterday.

It's a lottery if you'll get tickets but first dibs is for UK citizens hence if you apply with a UK/NI address you'll get preference (so I applied using a UK address).

Same as what they did with the World Cup last year I think, except for the cheaper tickets system.

G-Money

Pyongyang wrote: »

I registered months ago, actually just got ticket date sales info in an email from the ticket agency yesterday.

It's a lottery if you'll get tickets but first dibs is for UK citizens hence if you apply with a UK/NI address you'll get preference (so I applied using a UK address).

Same as what they did with the World Cup last year I think, except for the cheaper tickets system.

Didn't know that, I will be using my nordy address then possibly

Brianderunner

grandmaster wrote: »

They definitely need to explain what these types of tickets cover. I've had a look at the information they sent out and on the website and I can't see any explanation as to what a super-final is or what tickets cover which events on which days.

At all major athletics championship the first few days are usually pretty ordinary (loads of heats, with very little finals) with the exception of the mens 100m final, so the tickets are usually cheaper. The last day will always consist of nothing but finals and are always the most expensive so i'd be nearly sure the final day will be the super final and the most expensive.

I'll be registering with my UK address for sure if it means i get priority over the rest. I hear 70% of all ticket applicants are from south east England though, so there might be no tickets left for the rest of you .

G-Money

I logged on today and changed my details to put in my nordy address.

I was thinking of applying for a Super-final ticket and for a ticket for the heats. Basically if possible I'd like to see all the track events, both heats and finals.