Hundreds of thousands of sports fans are thought to have have missed out on tickets for the 2012 London Olympics after the first ballot deadline passed on May 31. Around 1.8 million people made requests for the 6.6 million tickets on sale in Britain but an estimated one in seven were unsuccessful.Applicants found out if they had been lucky – or not – by checking their visa card and bank accounts to see if money had been debited.To add to the confusion those who were successful will not learn what events they have paid for for several weeks.Many are unhappy with the ticketing process.Twitter user EssexWomble said: “Well, I’ve got some Olympic tickets, but very difficult to work out what.”MachinaClub said she was not happy with the way the tickets have been allocated: “Wish they had just sold them like normal events”, she said.More than half of the 650 sessions were oversubscribed, with the most popular events – including track cycling and rhythmic gymnastics – all selling out.Tickets ranged in price from £20.12 to £2012 for the opening ceremony, up to £725 for the men’s 100m sprint final and between £50 and £325 for track cycling.The London Organising Committee (Locog) says people should not worry yet as the first round of the ticketing process has not been completed.Payments will continue to be taken until June 10.Among other complaints about the process are that people will not find out where their seats are until May or June next year.There is also resentment that many have been reserved for government officials, corporate hospitality and sponsors.Sky News olympic producer Lia Hervey said that 9,000 tickets were being sold to the government and around 880,000 were reserved for sponsors.Athletes get two tickets each to give to family or friends.
Consumer magazine Which? has described the ballot system as “bizarre” and questioned why people could not have had a warning e-mail about withdrawals from their bank accounts.A London 2012 spokesman insisted it had fully explained the process, and that it was the fairest way to ensure people had an equal chance of applying.The spokesman said: “Applicants who have been unsuccessful and have got nothing in the first round will get priority in the second round.”The reality is that many people will not be lucky the first time around but they will get priority for the second round.”There have been 20 million applications for tickets and many events have been Oversubscribed, so there will be some people who will not get any in the first round but they will get something in the second round.”They will be told how to apply when they are notified officially if they have been successful by June 24.There will be one major difference, though – in the second round tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. – SkyNews
