Organisers hope for Paralympic sell out
AS applications for tickets for the 2012 Paralympic Games open today, organisers are predicting that the London 2012 Paralympics will be the first in history to sell out.
In the past, tickets for the Paralympics have been purchased by the host government and then given out for free. But the 2012 games will be the first time that the ticketing has been run on a purely commercial basis. There are 2m Paralympic tickets available. The first round of 1.5m tickets goes on sale today at 9am today, closing in three weeks time, on 26 September at 6pm. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games has said that prices will start at £10 for adults and concessionary tickets will start at £5 for those aged 16 or under and those aged 60 or over on 29 August 2012.
“I am so excited we have finally reached the point where the ticket application process has opened,” said multiple gold medal winning paracyclist Sarah Storey OBE, who is currently training with the able-bodied team pursuit squad with the aim of competing in both the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. “It’s starting to feel like a reality after so many years of planning.”
In common with the Olympic counterparts, it is expected that the opening and closing ceremonies, athletics, swimming and track cycling will be the most popular events, selling out quickly.
Most of the sports will be held in the same venues as the Olympics, with the exception of tennis which will take place on hard courts at the Olympic Park, and road cycling which will be held at motor racing circuit Brands Hatch. For those who missed out on Olympic tickets, this is another chance to see elite athletes at their peak.
Tickets can be applied for online at www.tickets.london2012.com. As with the Olympics, if events are oversubscribed, tickets will be allocated via a random ballot.
FOCUS | 2012 PARALYMPIC TICKETS BY NUMBERS
• More than 4,200 athletes from 150 nations will take part in the 2012 Paralympic Games, which will run from 29 August to 9 September.
• Organisers have announced that more than half of the tickets for the 2012 Paralympics will cost £10 or less.
• Tickets for the opening ceremony will start at £20.12, and go up to £500.
• The price of all Paralympic tickets includes a Travelcard, but there will be a postage charge of £6 for each order.
• Bookings for groups of 20 people will include two free tickets. Day passes for the Olympic Park and Excel centre will entitle people to see multiple sports.
• The tickets are priced lower than those for the Olympic Games, which ranged from £20 to £2,012, with 18m people applying for 6.6m tickets.