2012 Olympic Athletics Days - which one?

grimbergen

Brianderunner wrote: »

Ain't looking good for my athletics orders, might have to pick a few mickey mouse events. I was in Athens in 2004 so its not the end of the world and i'll see a load of stuff anyway as i'm living in London now.

However, I've competed in athletics since 1993, been to 3 major track championships, 3 euro xc's, etc and people who don't even know what Hayward Field is are getting tickets ahead of me, what a fcking joke. Rant over.

I understand your disappointment Brian but in fairness to the organisers, how could you possibly design a ballot system that takes into account the level of interest/knowledge of applicants??? There were 1million applications alone for the 100m final and this seems to be the first ever olympics where every event will be sold out. It's the same for every big sporting event. My guess is most people over-applied and plenty of tickets will come free over the next 12 months.

400

Nothing :mad: I get hooked watching athletics live, tv doesn't do it justice. If only I could afford Korea I'd have flights booked ages ago :rolleyes:

Brianderunner

grimbergen wrote: »

I understand your disappointment Brian but in fairness to the organisers, how could you possibly design a ballot system that takes into account the level of interest/knowledge of applicants??? There were 1million applications alone for the 100m final and this seems to be the first ever olympics where every event will be sold out. It's the same for every big sporting event. My guess is most people over-applied and plenty of tickets will come free over the next 12 months.

Of course. They could have released a certain amount of tickets to the athletic clubs for just the athletics first of all though. How would Man Utd Barca fans feel if all the final tickets went on general sale. I dont mind people on here getting them as we are all runners but to hear of people in work (who havent exercised in years) get them over me it's quite hard to take.

I hope you're right as regards the over subscription

robinph

Although I may not have got any tickets, I don't have a problem with the way that they have done the sales. Perfectly fair as far as I can tell. They couldn't do a first come first served as then they would just get bought up by very few people who would sell them on for inflated prices. They can't tell you what you've got before they take the money as then people would cancel their cards if they did really, really mean to apply for the rhythmic gymnastics and syncro swimming and that would leave the organisers with unsold tickets that they thought they had sold.

Pisco Sour

I log in this morning to see a private message in my inbox. I assume it is Brian emailing me the good news, only to find out it is some spammer telling me I have won 7.50 euro. Lovely start to the day!!!!

Keep the updates coming here Brian, if anything good happens. Boards isn't blocked in work so I can check here.

Bella mamma

G-Money wrote: »

robinph, looks like me and you are the odd one's out. We're the only ones not to have gotten any tickets so far.

Add me to your list. BOI visa also.

Not a great ticket year;

5 Olympic sessions = 0
9 Wimbledon applications = 0
2 Europa League applications (Liverpool) = 0
1 Champions League application (Barcelona) = 0

I've saved a fortune :cool:

spurscormac

Nothing yet - though every second time I check the BOI site, banking365 is not available.

Again, I'm one of those BoI Visa customers - just hope its the fact their systems are sooo slow to update that is the cause of it.

G-Money

spurscormac wrote: »

Nothing yet - though every second time I check the BOI site, banking365 is not available.

Again, I'm one of those BoI Visa customers - just hope its the fact their systems are sooo slow to update that is the cause of it.

Just checked mine there now and still nothing. Same reason, I'm hoping it's how it takes a few days for charges to show up that's the cause.

I think the ticket system has been fair enough but my main gripe is why they don't let people know what they've got once they have charged their cards, rather than making them wait a month. I understand robinph's point about people cancelling cards, but if they told you once you had been charged, surely that would be enough to avoid that problem in the first place.

Anyway, I guess that's freed up some money for free. Or well avoided me going several hundred euro into debt.

Pisco Sour

I have lost a lot of respect for Sebastian Coe.

shels4ever

04072511 wrote: »

I have lost a lot of respect for Sebastian Coe.

Thats a little harsh, not too happy about tickets myself but its not as if the olympics were been held in ireland, would have though that UK club runners should get the first option on tickets to events first myself then general sales..
Rio might be a nice holiday (with more medal chances too)

Pisco Sour

shels4ever wrote: »

Thats a little harsh, not too happy about tickets myself but its not as if the olympics were been held in ireland, would have though that UK club runners should get the first option on tickets to events first myself then general sales..
Rio might be a nice holiday (with more medal chances too)

And have the UK club runners got first choice? :rolleyes:;)

Not harsh at all. He is the guy running this thing, and has proclaimed this a Games for the People, and yet has priced the majority of people out of the majority of tickets, and hasn't disclosed the amount of tickets that were available in the affordable 50 and 95/125 pound bracket. I wouldn't be surprised if for each athletics evening session, out of 90,000 seats only 1,000 is within the 50 pounds category, and 2,000 is within the 95 or 125 pound category, with everything else costing over 200 quid! We really have no reason to believe otherwise.

Add to this the amount that has been given to corporates despite the fact Londonners have been paying for the Games through their taxes!

He has a lot of questions to answer, and regardless of whether he made these specific decisions or not, he is the face of the Games, and will take the blame in my books.

On an aside, I've been to Rio. AWESOME city! Bit far away to start thinking of medal prospects though.

shels4ever

04072511 wrote: »

And have the UK club runners got first choice? :rolleyes:;)

He has a lot of questions to answer, and regardless of whether he made these specific decisions or not, he is the face of the Games, and will take the blame in my books.

On an aside, I've been to Rio. AWESOME city! Bit far away to start thinking of medal prospects though.

Nope that was my main point, maybe put it wrong but it would have been the way I would have done it.

robinph

04072511 wrote: »

And have the UK club runners got first choice? :rolleyes:;)

But if they were to give tickets to clubs first as suggested, then once you let each club have 2 tickets each that is then the stadium full. Not really fair for anyone else.

shels4ever

robinph wrote: »

But if they were to give tickets to clubs first as suggested, then once you let each club have 2 tickets each that is then the stadium full. Not really fair for anyone else.

Yes but the year before you would see a huge increase in club membership :)

Pisco Sour

shels4ever wrote: »

Nope that was my main point, maybe put it wrong but it would have been the way I would have done it.

Ah well, as long as Cheryl Cole gets her free ticket, and spends her time propping up the VIP bar flirting with some other talentless "celebrity" while Teddy Tamgho is meanwhile leaping 18 metres, then that's the main thing.

TheRoadRunner

Brianderunner wrote: »

However, I've competed in athletics since 1993, been to 3 major track championships, 3 euro xc's, etc and people who don't even know what Hayward Field is are getting tickets ahead of me, what a fcking joke. Rant over.

In fairness to the British public they are sports mad and get out and watch all sorts of events. I was at the Euro indoors in Birmingham a few years back and it was jam packed. I assumed everybody at the event was well up on athletics as euro indoors aren't exactly a major event. However the couple sitting either side of us hadn't a clue about the majority of athletes or events. One couple had traveled from London the other from Newcastle. They were really into the event though and while weren't knowledgeable about the majority of races they were very interested and helped generate a good atmosphere in the arena by helping fill it. A similar event in a similar arena in Ireland (dream on) would be half empty with your average Joe soap not giving a flying $hite.

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

I don't but I'm a bit of a gloating bastard like that

Following my gloating from above a bit of a spanner has been thrown in the works. I have a family wedding that clashes with one of the days. Whats the bets it clashes with whatever day I got :rolleyes: ? Should have kept my stupid gloating mouth shut

Pisco Sour

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

One couple had traveled from London the other from Newcastle. They were really into the event though and while weren't knowledgeable about the majority of races they were very interested and helped generate a good atmosphere in the arena by helping fill it.

They weren't taking up tickets from genuine fans though, in this instance. They helped fill up a low profile major championship. I suspect there were no die hard fans left without at this event. In fact the Olympics is the only event you will ever see a die hard athletics fan left without. And many people who get tickets are those who don't gibe a toss about athletics except when its the Olympics. That is the fact of it, sadly.

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

A similar event in a similar arena in Ireland (dream on) would be half empty with your average Joe soap not giving a flying $hite.

I agree with this mainly. Although I was the 2002 World Cross Country in Leopardstown and there was a very large crowd there. Though maybe that was because Sonia was running. I was appalled by the poor turnout at the Euorpean Cross Country at Santry in 09.

I agree though that the British are far better sports followers than us.

robinph

04072511 wrote: »

I was appalled by the poor turnout at the Euorpean Cross Country at Santry in 09.

I thought they had a pretty big crowd for it. It was just a day stood around in a muddy field, but there was as many people lining the course, if not more, than I saw on a recent one they televised up in Edinburgh a couple of months ago in the snow.

Pisco Sour

robinph wrote: »

I thought they had a pretty big crowd for it. It was just a day stood around in a muddy field, but there was as many people lining the course, if not more, than I saw on a recent one they televised up in Edinburgh a couple of months ago in the snow.

I guess I was comparing it to 2002 in Leopardstown.

I didn't like the venue at Santy much being honest.

TheRoadRunner

04072511 wrote: »

I guess I was comparing it to 2002 in Leopardstown.

I didn't like the venue at Santy much being honest.

OT but leopardstown was crap. Stuck too far away from the race

TheRoadRunner

04072511 wrote: »

They weren't taking up tickets from genuine fans though, in this instance. They helped fill up a low profile major championship. I suspect there were no die hard fans left without at this event. In fact the Olympics is the only event you will ever see a die hard athletics fan left without. And many people who get tickets are those who don't gibe a toss about athletics except when its the Olympics. That is the fact of it, sadly.

That's life I'm afraid. People like to be at the big events. It's like me trying to go along to the GAA football final*. I don't play, don't go to national league games or early rounds of championship but when the big matches roll around I'm a big time charlie fan.

* I should mention I'm a Dub so this hasn't been a problem for me

Pisco Sour

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/jun/01/olympics-man-wins-tickets-bidding

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

G-Money

So the current Olympic ticket loser club contains the following members...

G-Money
04072511
robinph
ecoli
400
spurscormac
Bella-mama

Did I miss anyone?

robinph

04072511 wrote: »

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/jun/01/olympics-man-wins-tickets-bidding

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

He will not have that many tickets though, there was a limit on how many events you could put in for. He's just got a few tickets at £2012 each I expect.

TheRoadRunner

robinph wrote: »

He will not have that many tickets though, there was a limit on how many events you could put in for. He's just got a few tickets at £2012 each I expect.

yeah was thinking that and also he has a very understanding wife. I'd be told to take a run and jump

robinph

They are saying that 250,000 people have not got anything. Was that out of 1.8m people making the applications for 20m tickets? Those are the numbers I seem to have in my head anyway.

Not liking the fact that I'm one of those 250,000, but that isn't really that bad a ratio of people who applied and have actually got tickets. Only 13% missed out. OK so each person was applying for multiple people in family groups, but still.

Pisco Sour

robinph wrote: »

They are saying that 250,000 people have not got anything. Was that out of 1.8m people making the applications for 20m tickets? Those are the numbers I seem to have in my head anyway.

Not liking the fact that I'm one of those 250,000, but that isn't really that bad a ratio of people who applied and have actually got tickets. Only 13% missed out. OK so each person was applying for multiple people in family groups, but still.

Yeh but those stats are boosted by the fact that most people who got something only got one of their last choices (like hockey, judo, handball etc).

If you just look at the people who only applied for athletics (like me for one) then you can pretty much reverse those statistics.

Pisco Sour

In my state of feeling sorry for myself over these Olympic tickets I've decided to crack open a beer here on my own, on a weekday evening

G-Money

Seeing it seems to take BOI Visa about 2 or 3 days to update anytime a charge goes onto it, I guess I shouldn't give up all hope yet. But seeing they finished processing normal applications at midnight last night, if there's no charge by the weekend I guess that's definitely no tickets for me.

Pisco Sour

Its funny, we actually disregarded the morning sessions of athletics and didnt bother applying for them as we just assumed we could pick them up on the day at the gate. I've followed this sport since Sonia's European gold in Helsinki in 1994, and not once have I seen a morning session even HALF full.

Even at Sydney 2000, when all evening sessions were sold out with 110,000 people inside Stadium Australia, there was piss all people at the morning sessions.

Seriously what is going on!! Why is nobody even getting morning session tickets to athletics?!?!