Leadership / 06.27.19

Tokyo Olympic Tickets: Be Prepared to Be Disappointed

Access Staff

Associated Press (06/19/19)

Tokyo Olympics fans hoping for tickets via a lottery will likely be disappointed, with TicketManager's Ken Hanscom estimating that 80–90% of Japan residents who applied could wind up with nothing. "It's good news for the demand, and bad news on the ticket side and the public," he noted. Tokyo's organizing committee as of last Thursday could not say how many residents got tickets, and it is uncertain if — or when — it will report the overall numbers. Organizers will run a second ticketing phase where the chances of getting tickets will likely be even lower. They calculate that 7.5 million residents registered to apply for tickets through the lottery, while Hanscom reckons the organizers may have received 70 million to 85 million requests, which could be at least 10 times the number of available tickets. According to organizers, there are 7.8 million tickets for all events, but 20–30% are marked for distribution outside Japan, where buyers could face the same difficulties and end up paying more. Buyers outside Japan must purchase tickets from Authorized Ticket Resellers, who are permitted to assess a 20% handling fee on each ticket. Hanscom anticipates a "vibrant secondary market" for tickets, despite a Japanese law banning scalping.

Read the full article on USA Today. 

Tags: Olympics , Regulations , News