Olympic tickets

[Mark]

The tickets for the 2012 London games go on sale shortly. Does anyone intend to buy tickets and go to the games?

Personally I'd quite like the idea of attending an Olympic event, as it's kind of a once in a lifetime thing, but I absolutely hate the idea of going into London for it. It's a nightmare there at the best of times, but while the Olympics is on? forgetaboutit!

Unfortunately the only venues outside of London are Weymouth for the sailing (a bit far!) and various places, including Newcastle , for football.. tbh I'd be quite happy to go and see any type of sport you care to mention - with the exception of football!

[Sonic]

Yes and yes. As you say a once in a lifetime thing, so, quite frankly, screw the 16 hours I'll spend getting there and back and bring it on

[Dave B]

Thanks to HS1 I can get from my front door to Stratford inside an hour. We've been looking at some of the £20 tickets for the diving and athletics qualifiers and weighing up whether you'd see much from that distance. Tempting just to stay at home and watch it on the telly.

[Mark]

Thanks to HS1 I can get from my front door to Stratford inside an hour. We've been looking at some of the £20 tickets for the diving and athletics qualifiers and weighing up whether you'd see much from that distance. Tempting just to stay at home and watch it on the telly.

Aye, so if yourself who can get there in under an hour is having second thoughts, what about the likes of myself who will have to spend at least 5 hours getting here. Which means staying overnight, which is extortionate in London at the best of times.

[GridGirl]

It's the whole ballot system that I find daunting. We would really like to see mountain biking and BMX in particular but does just one if us apply or both of us. There are other events that we'd like to watch too but do we enter to the ballots or just ride our luck. In theory we could be successful with every ballot but at the same time we could end up with nothing at all. When you apply you give them your banking details so if your successful you get the tickets and they take the money. Unless I'm in the wrong in thinking that you don't have a chance to decline a sucessful ballot application.

[Mark]

I guess it depends how popular things are? Getting in to see the 100metres final would probably be nigh on impossible, but the mountain biking would attract less of a crowd. Certainly some events in China were very poorly attended.

But there's a big problem in selling tickets now, in that peoples lives and priorities change, you buy tickets now in March 2011 but my August 2012 you could have got married, had kids, be living in a different country, any number of things which mean you can't attend.

If there is no option to hand your tickets back for a refund it'll just end up in a massive black market.

[Hazell B]

.... end up in a massive black market.

Does it count as a black market if people are selling on in a perfectly legal open marketplace, such as ebay, etc? I don't really think so.

Anyway, I've already been offered a spare for part of the equestrian games (by a course builder I know) but I'm not going as a) he's clearly thinking with his underbrain! and b) I just cannot be bothered with what has been described to me as 'the worst security system ever' that's currently in place. It seems the police and so on have a plan that almost all of the non-stadium events can see is pure drivel and nobody in the know about these things feels is workable or safe. They'll probably throw out the competitors and allow in the gypsies, is how it's been explained to me :
If I had to enter the ballot and pay the frankly highwayman style prices, I sure as hell wouldn't be going. Games for the People my arse! Games for the rich and shameless, more like!

[GridGirl]

If I had to enter the ballot and pay the frankly highwayman style prices, I sure as hell wouldn't be going. Games for the People my arse! Games for the rich and shameless, more like!

We want to see mountaining biking which will cost either £20 or £40 per ticket which on first glance doesn't appear that highly priced. Then when you compare it to going to see a round of the Mountain Bike World Cup in Dalby in May which will cost £8 per day it does seem to be a rip off. We went to Dalby last year and plan on going again this year but at the same time know we will see the exact same riders that we would see at the Olympics. I suppose it is once in a lifetime experience to go to the Olympics though.

[Mark]

Does it count as a black market if people are selling on in a perfectly legal open marketplace, such as ebay, etc? I don't really think so.

Depends on your point of view. If your selling for the face value I see no problem. If you're attempting to make a profit that's another matter.

[Hazell B]

Depends on your point of view. If your selling for the face value I see no problem. If you're attempting to make a profit that's another matter.

Selling at profit on an auction site isn't a black market. It's people offering to buy - their choice.

I don't see why anybody should be branded part of a black market just for doing what Tesco do every day. Nobody is forcing anyone to buy from them.

Black markets are illegal selling, pure and simple. Avoiding tax on products, selling with no legal rights, etc. are black market.

Anyway, I think there'll be a deadline for saying yes or no to balloted tickets. It should be nearer the time, but who knows with this stupid country these days?