RIO DE JANEIRO: Rio Olympics organizers on Thursday unveiled the Games' ticketing distribution system, urging fans chasing 7.5 million tickets to register on a web portal if they want to see live action at the August 5-21, 2016 extravaganza.
Fans in the host country must register via website, where 70 percent will be earmarked for Brazilian residents.
Foreign fans must apply through a separate process.
Following registration, actual applications start from March. Two lottery draws will be held -- fans are required to register for both ahead of a real time sale of remaining tickets from October.
Box office sales for the remnants will occur from June next year, in what organizing committee president Carlos Nuzman and commercial executive director Renato Ciuchini praised as a "fair and transparent process".
Just over half of the tickets will be available for 70 reais ($30) or less. The cheapest full price tickets will be 40 reais for weightlifting.
Pensioners, the disabled and students will enjoy half price concessions, meaning the cheapest deal of all will be just 20 reais.
Ciuchini said no tickets would be free but stressed the option to pay by instalment over a maximum of five months meant "that's just a couple of bus tickets" per month for the cheapest deals.
Three percent of tickets will cost upwards of 600 reais for marquee events -- including the men's 100m final expected to feature multiple champion Usain Bolt -- and all but out of reach for the poorest fans in a country where the minimum monthly wage is just 724 reais ($275).
The most expensive seats of all will be box seats for the opening ceremony at a hefty 4600 reais.
"We will have a fair and transparent process, in line with the concept of 'Games for All', which is one of the pillars of Rio 2016," Ciuchini said, describing pricing as making the event "very accessible" to all sections of society seeking a taste of the South America's first Olympiad.
Tickets for foreign fans will be distributed via authorised resellers appointed by National Olympic Committees who will be listed on the official Games site from March.
Organizers repeated earlier warnings that ticket scalpers would face fines -- selling tickets on for higher than face value, a practice illegal in Brazil but which notably occurred at last year's World Cup.
Meanwhile, Brazil's head of counter-terrorism told Globo's news portal G1 that they were alert to the possibility of terror threats during the high-profile event following last week's deadly attacks in Paris.
Luiz Alberto Sallaberry said close monitoring had warded off attacks at the World Cup but said following the attacks in France claimed by Al Qaeda Brazil saw "increased" risk of also being targeted as it prepares to host the Games.
Sallaberry said Brazil recognized the need to monitor potential "lone wolf" attackers who "do not formally belong to a terror group".
Comments
Comments are closed.