{"id":794954,"date":"2019-04-18T18:48:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-19T00:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/ticket-sales-the-least-understood-side-of-the-olympics\/"},"modified":"2019-04-18T18:48:00","modified_gmt":"2019-04-19T00:48:00","slug":"ticket-sales-the-least-understood-side-of-the-olympics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/ticket-sales-the-least-understood-side-of-the-olympics\/","title":{"rendered":"Ticket sales: The least understood side of the Olympics"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery\" readability=\"6.7957351290685\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-364634-428\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/Japan_Tokyo_2020_Olympics_Tickets_96746-1df1c-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/Japan_Tokyo_2020_Olympics_Tickets_96746-1df1c.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Yuta Omori \/ AP | Kyodo News | Kosuke Kitajima, a four-time Olympic swimming gold medalist attends a press conference in Tokyo on Thursday. Kitajima helped Tokyo Olympic organizers launch their ticket website on Thursday, which is where only Japan residents can buy tickets when they go on sale in Japan on May 9. But the useful site can also be accessed by people outside Japan, where basic prices are listed along with the full competition schedule.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"9\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/Japan_Tokyo_2020_Olympics_Tickets_96746-1df1c.jpg\" alt=\"Kosuke Kitajima, a four-time Olympic swimming gold medalist attends a press conference in Tokyo on Thursday. Kitajima helped Tokyo Olympic organizers launch their ticket website on Thursday, which is where only Japan residents can buy tickets when they go on sale in Japan on May 9. But the useful site can also be accessed by people outside Japan, where basic prices are listed along with the full competition schedule.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"13\">\n<p><strong>Kosuke Kitajima, a four-time Olympic swimming gold medalist attends a press conference in Tokyo on Thursday. Kitajima helped Tokyo Olympic organizers launch their ticket website on Thursday, which is where only Japan residents can buy tickets when they go on sale in Japan on May 9. But the useful site can also be accessed by people outside Japan, where basic prices are listed along with the full competition schedule.<\/strong><br \/>Yuta Omori \/ AP | Kyodo News<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/Japan_Tokyo_2020_Olympics_Tickets_96746-1df1c-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/Japan_Tokyo_2020_Olympics_Tickets_96746-1df1c-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Felipe Dana \/ AP File Photo | AP | Olympic tickets are displayed during an event at the Rio 2016 headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Tokyo Olympic organizers launched their ticket website on Thursday.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/Japan_Tokyo_2020_Olympics_Tickets_96746-1df1c-1.jpg\" alt=\"Olympic tickets are displayed during an event at the Rio 2016 headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Tokyo Olympic organizers launched their ticket website on Thursday.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Olympic tickets are displayed during an event at the Rio 2016 headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Tokyo Olympic organizers launched their ticket website on Thursday.<\/strong><br \/>Felipe Dana \/ AP File Photo | AP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/Japan_Tokyo_2020_Olympics_Tickets_96746-1df1c-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/Japan_Tokyo_2020_Olympics_Tickets_96746-1df1c-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Silvia Izquierdo \/ AP File Photo | AP | A man handles the Olympic tickets he just purchased at a shopping mall in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016. Tokyo Olympic organizers launched their ticket website on Thursday.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/Japan_Tokyo_2020_Olympics_Tickets_96746-1df1c-2.jpg\" alt=\"A man handles the Olympic tickets he just purchased at a shopping mall in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016. Tokyo Olympic organizers launched their ticket website on Thursday.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>A man handles the Olympic tickets he just purchased at a shopping mall in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016. Tokyo Olympic organizers launched their ticket website on Thursday.<\/strong><br \/>Silvia Izquierdo \/ AP File Photo | AP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/sports\/ticket-sales-the-least-understood-side-of-the-olympics\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/sports\/ticket-sales-the-least-understood-side-of-the-olympics\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">TOKYO \u2014 It\u2019s Olympic ticket sales time again, perhaps the least understood side of the games.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cTime flies,\u201d said Kosuke Kitajima, a four-time Olympic swimming gold medalist from Japan. \u201cIt\u2019s as if the Rio de Janeiro Olympics were just yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The now-retired Kitajima helped Tokyo Olympic organizers launch their ticket website on Thursday. Only Japanese residents can buy tickets when they go on sale in the host country on May 9. But the useful site can also be accessed in English by people outside Japan, where basic prices are listed along with the full competition schedule.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">To purchase tickets outside of Japan, everyone else in the world has to contact what are known as \u201cauthorized ticket resellers,\u201d which operate in most major countries. They can\u2019t start selling tickets until June 15 and they are also listed on the website.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Buying in the host nation is straightforward with prices clearly set.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Under Olympic rules, ticket resellers are appointed by the local national Olympic committee. The reseller for the United States is CoSport, which also handles sales in Australia, Jordan and several European countries. Resellers can mark up the ticket price by 20%, which is termed a \u201chandling charge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">However, many sought-after tickets are packaged by resellers with top hotels and other perks, and the markups can be much more than 20%. These are aimed at the wealthy, hospitality packages and corporate buyers, for whom price is not always a concern. The resellers also run the risk of getting stuck with tickets they can\u2019t sell.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">CoSport, a division of Jet Set Sports and based in Far Hill, New Jersey, came under criticism at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Not only did buyers have to pay the markups, but they were also penalized by the fluctuation in the exchange rate at that time in Brazil. That was not CoSport\u2019s fault, but it pushed some prices up by another 50% to buyers outside Brazil.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Hidenori Suzuki, the senior director of tickets for the Tokyo Olympics, said local organizers try to scrutinize the authorized ticket resellers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIn case the resellers set inappropriate ticket prices, there will be some procedures we are getting into,\u201d Suzuki said Thursday, speaking through an interpreter. \u201cThe most rigorous case is the ticket reseller might have their license revoked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">If buyers outside Japan are patient and don\u2019t rush to buy they may get some deals. It happened in Brazil. And it happened at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Tokyo organizers will open sales globally in the spring of 2020, meaning any remaining, unsold tickets can be purchased at the prices offered in Japan. In Rio de Janeiro, many top tickets were unsold as the games neared, and some desirable tickets were put back into the pool after they were sold but never paid for.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Tokyo estimates it will have 7.8 million tickets to sell, with 20%-30% dedicated to sales outside Japan. Organizers hope to generate about $800 million in ticket sales, a large source of revenue for the $5.6 billion privately funded operating budget.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Overall, Japan will spend about $20 billion to prepare for the games, and about 70% is public money.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Suzuki said the 7.8 million ticket number could change with stadiums and arenas still being configured for seating.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe still lack information about the physical structure and layout of some of the venues,\u201d Suzuki said. \u201cThis is the same with past games.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The opening ceremony on July 24 will feature the most expensive ticket \u2014 $2,680. The most expensive ticket for the closing ceremony is $1,965.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The most expensive ticket for the men\u2019s 100-meter final is $1,160, while the men\u2019s basketball final goes for $970.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Tokyo organizers say 50 percent of the tickets will sell for $70 or less. The cheapest ticket is $22.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/sports\/ticket-sales-the-least-understood-side-of-the-olympics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kosuke Kitajima, a four-time Olympic swimming gold medalist attends a press conference in Tokyo on Thursday. Kitajima helped Tokyo Olympic organizers launch their ticket website on Thursday, which is where only Japan residents can buy tickets when they go on sale in Japan on May 9. But the useful site can also be accessed by [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-794954","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-14 17:49:26","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=794954"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794954\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=794954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=794954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=794954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}