London 2012 Olympics: Government spends nearly £750k on Olympic tickets

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/...ic-tickets.html

The Government has spent nearly £750,000 on an Olympic ticket allocation that includes 411 beach volleyball seats, according to reports.

 

Jeremy Hunt's department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) applied for and has been allocated some 8,846 tickets to the London 2012 Olympics, a Freedom of Information request showed.

 

The allocation, which was until now withheld from the public, included 213 tickets to the opening ceremony for a total price of £194,525, Sky News reported.

 

The Government's allocation includes 41 of the most expensive opening ceremony tickets, priced at £2012.12, while they were also allocated 143 tickets to the closing ceremony for a cost of £71,490.

 

* Almost £750,000 in total

213 opening ceremony tickets for £194,525

143 closing ceremony tickets for £71,490

257 athletics tickets for £33,805

411 beach volleyball tickets for £26,600

224 track cycling tickets

£29,530 for diving tickets

 

It is alleged that Hunt's department spent £33,085 on 257 athletics tickets and £26,600 on 411 beach volleyball tickets.

 

Thousands of people were left angered with the Olympic ticket process after missing out on tickets in two open sales periods so the news that the Government has been spending taxpayers' money on oversubscribed sessions is likely to be poorly received.

 

Hunt defended the Government's spending, saying that tickets will be split between rewarding civil servants who worked on the Games, and will buy them at face value, and wooing foreign investors visiting the Games.

 

"Some of them are premium tickets and some of them are for preliminary stages," said Hunt.

 

"No one's getting them for nothing. Civil servants will have to buy them at face value. I think if someone's been working night and day for the Olympics then they deserve to be able to enter a ballot to buy these tickets at face value.

 

"The ones that are going to Government employees will not be paid for by the taxpayer. We want the Olympics to benefit the country economically and we want to give investors the royal treatment."

 

Approximately 6,000 tickets will be paid for by the taxpayer, 450 are reserved for prizes at the School Games, 1,500 are reserved for international business guests, and 1,6000 will be distributed for international and domestic guests. There will then be 3,000 for staff who worked on the Games, but they will have to pay for them themselves.

 

A DCMS spokesman said: "Hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games next summer is a once-in a-generation opportunity to showcase the UK to a massive international audience.

 

"We are determined to use this unique opportunity to maximise the economic benefits for the country.

 

"The Government has purchased 8,815 tickets for the Games - around 0.1% of the 8.8 million tickets available.

 

"These will be used to invite and accompany a number of international and domestic political and business leaders, as well as guests with a close connection to the Games and its legacy.

 

"As we have said before, there will be no free tickets for civil servants, and no tickets at all for the opening and closing ceremonies."

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..While tens of thousands of members of the public missed out...

 

And, errr, take a not of the amount of tickets they nabbed for the "Beach Volleyball" as compared to the others...... Pervs..... :lol: :lol:

 

And, errr, take a not of the amount of tickets they nabbed for the "Beach Volleyball" as compared to the others...... Pervs..... :lol: :lol:

 

Are you a bit jealous Scott? :D I wouldn't mind going to the beach volleyball actually. ;)

Are you a bit jealous Scott? :D I wouldn't mind going to the beach volleyball actually. ;)

 

Yeah, Chris, that'd be about your level... :P

 

So some of the civil servants who have been working hard for the past few years to make sure the Games are a success are to be given a chance to attend - at their own expense. Where's the scandal in that? As long as the tickets aren't all reserved for those at the top, I don't see the problem at all.

I actually completely agree with this. People who have worked hard should get the reward of being able to buy a ticket to the games and this really is such an amazing opportunity to attract investment to the UK which would help fund economic growth.

 

The first economic decision this government has made that I actually agree with.

I actually completely agree with this. People who have worked hard should get the reward of being able to buy a ticket to the games and this really is such an amazing opportunity to attract investment to the UK which would help fund economic growth.

 

You think the Olympics will actually make us money and not be an enormous white elephant....?? :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

I'm sure the Greeks thought they would make billions too when they had theirs in 2004... That didn't quite work out so well for them...

 

 

 

You think the Olympics will actually make us money and not be an enormous white elephant....?? :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

I'm sure the Greeks thought they would make billions too when they had theirs in 2004... That didn't quite work out so well for them...

 

Greece struggled to get everything ready in time (surprise there) whereas we could have hosted the Olympics THIS year. I'm still confident 2012 will be great, the fact that we won the hosting rights on account of being the only bid team to show the IOC the legacy that'll be left behind is surely symbolic of that...

Charlie's right. The stadiums are more or less ready, ahead of target (albeit well over the original budget). WHy do some people insist on being so negative all the time?

Charlie's right. The stadiums are more or less ready, ahead of target (albeit well over the original budget). WHy do some people insist on being so negative all the time?

 

Hmm, let's see, because they LIED THROUGH THEIR TEETH about the actual costings.... The fact that it's Londoners who are paying through the nose for this thing despite the fact that the whole country benefits, the fact that the likes of Westfields seem to be getting special treatment, the fact that Stratford has now basically been turned into a f/ucking shopping mall and the fact that local traders have been destroyed by the multinationals or big companies, I could go on making a list, but I'd be here all night....

Hmm, let's see, because they LIED THROUGH THEIR TEETH about the actual costings.... The fact that it's Londoners who are paying through the nose for this thing despite the fact that the whole country benefits, the fact that the likes of Westfields seem to be getting special treatment, the fact that Stratford has now basically been turned into a f/ucking shopping mall and the fact that local traders have been destroyed by the multinationals or big companies, I could go on making a list, but I'd be here all night....

 

Why then is the rest of the country disillusioned because they believe it'll only benefit London?

Hmm, let's see, because they LIED THROUGH THEIR TEETH about the actual costings.... The fact that it's Londoners who are paying through the nose for this thing despite the fact that the whole country benefits, the fact that the likes of Westfields seem to be getting special treatment, the fact that Stratford has now basically been turned into a f/ucking shopping mall and the fact that local traders have been destroyed by the multinationals or big companies, I could go on making a list, but I'd be here all night....

 

Agree with Scott. I hope it does all go t*ts up. Paris should have got it. We can't afford it. If Seb Coe wanted it so badly then he should have given all his own money fiirst. Must have a bob or two! I won't watch one minute of it in protest at my Council Tax going towards it. :angry: Oh and before anyone jumps on me, yes we do pay it as my wife works.

Edited November 8, 201113 yr by Common Sense

Agree with Scott. I hope it does all go t*ts up. Paris should have got it. We can't afford it. If Seb Coe wanted it so badly then he should have given all his own money fiirst. Must have a bob or two! I won't watch one minute of it in protest at my Council Tax going towards it. :angry: Oh and before anyone jumps on me, yes we do pay it as my wife works.

I'm sure the organisers will be devastated. This is the greatest sport event on Earth. Have some pride in the fact that it's coming to Britain. Of course, if you want the country to be a laughing stock, perhaps you will renounce your entitlement to any of the benefits of living here.

Why then is the rest of the country disillusioned because they believe it'll only benefit London?

 

Err, because they're WRONG maybe....? Just a thought...

 

I'm sure the organisers will be devastated. This is the greatest sport event on Earth. Have some pride in the fact that it's coming to Britain. Of course, if you want the country to be a laughing stock, perhaps you will renounce your entitlement to any of the benefits of living here.

 

Precisely. I can understand people who are bitter about its cost, but for a (former?) BNP voter to WANT it to go wrong is surely a little bit hypocritical.

Agree with Scott. I hope it does all go t*ts up. Paris should have got it. We can't afford it.

 

I never thought I'd end up agreeing with Chris, but I'm afraid he's bang on about this. And, honestly, just about everyone I talk to in London amongst my circle of friends is pretty sick of it... Especially when BoJo pops up with "pearls of wisdom" such as "hey, all you Londoners that actually LIVE HERE and have a day job should get up REALLY EARLY and get into work at about 7am so you wont get in the way of the tourists....". Yeah, F/UCK YOU, YOU CLOWN..... <_<

I never thought I'd end up agreeing with Chris, but I'm afraid he's bang on about this. And, honestly, just about everyone I talk to in London amongst my circle of friends is pretty sick of it... Especially when BoJo pops up with "pearls of wisdom" such as "hey, all you Londoners that actually LIVE HERE and have a day job should get up REALLY EARLY and get into work at about 7am so you wont get in the way of the tourists....". Yeah, F/UCK YOU, YOU CLOWN..... <_<

 

Boris didn't have a hand in the campaign to win the thing and he won't be mayor when it's on. His only role will (hopefully) have been waving the Olympic flag like a goon at Beijing's Closing Ceremony.

Boris didn't have a hand in the campaign to win the thing and he won't be mayor when it's on. His only role will (hopefully) have been waving the Olympic flag like a goon at Beijing's Closing Ceremony.

 

Well, one can certainly hope BoJo the Clown gets his marching orders, but I've honestly learned not to underestimate the sheer stupidity of the British public in thinking that someone who's a "bit of a wheeze" on a BBC news quiz would actually be any good as a Mayor.... -_-

 

Or indeed, for giving the Tories a second chance....

Well, one can certainly hope BoJo the Clown gets his marching orders, but I've honestly learned not to underestimate the sheer stupidity of the British public in thinking that someone who's a "bit of a wheeze" on a BBC news quiz would actually be any good as a Mayor.... -_-

 

Or indeed, for giving the Tories a second chance....

 

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

Well, it would be nice.. But, you'll forgive me if I dont hold my breath... ;)

 

The Olympic Games are such an amazing thing to host, and then with Glasgow having the Commonwealth games we have this unique opportunity to showcase our country at the top of it's game and showcase this amazing talent.

 

 

On the subject of 2014, London really should have taken note from Scotland's bid. Most of the facilities are already built and have been since before the bid :lol: Most of them are being re-done/extended in prep.